Screaming for Vengeance
by LightningHunter
Summary: Naruto's the Rokudaime, and the world looks fine- but as Konoha is destroyed by a mysterious army, Naruto barely survives, losing one eye, as well as most of his control of his chakra. But Konoha's last shinobi must avenge her. This is his final mission.
1. Prologue

Yes, The LightningHunter is back.

Hmm...that sounded good. Maybe I should change my penname to TheLightningHunter.

Anyway... well, nice to be back. After a holiday was followed shortly with the busting of my laptop's hard drive, it was only the lucky chance that I'd once made back-ups on a USB. Note to all readers- back up more then your fics, I lost my entire collection of images, videos, music and games.

As you can guess, I'm working very slowly on continuing those out-of-date back-ups, and if you've looked at my profile page, I have discontinued several fics.

However, seeing as rewriting is an arduous process, I merely decided to upload some other stuff I was writing while my laptop was out of order.

Like this- a hard hitting, brutal revenge story about Naruto. This chapter is very short, yes, that's because it's a little prologue to the story. No real revenge takes place in this chapter.

On, and to those moronic fools constantly writing about Naruto getting abused and type of shit, before he magically has his personality change and grow up to take revenge- you know the sort of idiots-, this fic is about Naruto taking revenge FOR Konoha. I'd like to remind the idiots that in canon, Naruto was never abused, or to be frank, hated. He was feared, not hated. No idiot was ever daft enough- or drunk enough- to take on what they perceived a demon, or even then, risk the wrath of the Sandaime.

I mean, seriously people, it sometimes help to put yourself in another's shoes. You think kid is demon. You don't attack it, you stay the fuck away. Hence why Naruto was always lonely- they thought he'd eat them or something.

Here's a little summary about the fic.

Naruto, early twenties. Set post-canon. Naruto being crowned Hokage. Village adore Naruto- as we see in canon at the Chuunin Exams, they seem to be won over quite easily. And then bad guys come and pretty much fuck up the entire scene. Story continues from there.

* * *

**_Prologue_**

The sun set over Konoha, but despite the dusk, the village was still in shades of red.

Why? Flames licked at the crumbled buildings, blood-stained bodies littered the ground, and the mud churned thick with cooling crimson fluid.

All this, due to one small battle.

"Milord." A shinobi (one clad in red, the clothes covering every inch of skin so that only his eyes were visible) bowed low to his master, the man who had initiated this massacre. "We finished our patrols. No building has not crumbled. No human has lived. This...village has been destroyed so completely that not even a lizard would live here for the next twenty years."

The commander lifted the man to his feet. "You have done well, Akai. Now, where is Kuroi!?"

The troops stood silent. They would not speak, it was all down to Kuroi to save his own life by appearing and ensuring his master's orders had been carried out.

"Where is Kuroi!? Has he failed!? Is he a coward, that he does not show his face!?"

"I am here, milord." A shinobi clad in much the same garb as Akai, only in black, appeared alongside the commander, bowing.

"Kuroi," the boss turned to face his soldier. "I trust you have carried out my orders?"

"Yes, milord."

"Excellent. But firstly...you were late, Kuroi. I instructed you to arrive on time. You therefore disobeyed me. And you know the punishment for disobeying me, Kuroi."

"Yes, milord." Kuroi obediently drew a vicious-looking dagger, raising it to his own chest.

"Stop, Kuroi."

"Milord?" Kuroi was clearly confused. He who disobeyed the master was a traitor. Traitors deserve death.

"You carried out my other orders. That warrants leniency. You however, will not get off scot free, Kuroi..."

The commander snatched the dagger from Kuroi's hand, and instead of impaling the black-clad shinobi, merely slashed him across the torso. He then followed up with a brutal punch into Kuroi's nose, undoubtedly breaking it.

Kuroi did not move an inch.

"Good, good. Now, can you prove you have killed the Daimyo and the ...new Hokage?"

In response, Kuroi removed a scroll from his belt, from which he unsealed a variety of blood-soaked items.

"The head of the Daimyo. The ceremonial hat of the Hokage. And, in that jar, milord...his eye."

The commander released a bark of laughter. "His eye? Kuroi, tell me about his end! I trust it was a fitting one?"

"Quite so, milord. I removed his eye while he was still alive. While the man staggered like a fool, I then stabbed him in the neck, before forcing him into a nearby building. And to ensure his death, I collapsed the building, before igniting it."

For a full minute, the commander did not stop his laughter. "Kuroi, you have surpassed all expectations!" he managed when he stopped.

The boss snapped his fingers, and Kuroi bent to the ground, retrieving the jar and handing it to his master, who keenly inspected it.

"Ah, his left eye...a pity I could not have a matching set."

"Milord, if you request it, I will at once search the wreckage to see if his right eye can be salvaged-"

"No, no, Kuroi, I feel that it would merely waste our time. One eye is good enough it." The commander grinned at the single cerulean eye. "I think I'll have it served as part of my dinner. But firstly...Aoiro!"

"Milord!" barked a blue-clad shinobi.

"Detonate the charges!"

"You heard the boss! Detonate the charges!"

And in moments, the Hokage Mountain exploded, the great carved faces collapsing, cracking, until it was nothing more than rubble.

"Troops!" The commander bellowed at his vast army. "Move out!"

And in moments, they were gone, along with any life.

The commander in his malicious thoughts, was full of pride and triumph of his great vicotry. He did not believe in the slightest he had erred somehow.

Unfortunately for him, he had. By telling Kuroi not to search the wreckage where he believed the newly-crowned Rokudaime Hokage to have died.

For, no one had told him just how resilient Konoha shinobi could be to death, particularly blonde demon containers.

And hours later, when the sun was rising again...

A bloody arm burst out of debris, followed by a second arm, then a head. A survivor. The man pulled himself out of the wreckage, his body soaked crimson, his clothes in shreds, and his single cerulean eye gazing bleakly at his surroundings.

And a single roar of anguish escaped his lips before he toppled to the ground.

* * *

"Konoha...Konoha is lost," he murmured to himself, over and over again.

The man stumbled through what were once roads, not caring for both his injuries and his state of undress. All that mattered to him was the land of his birth, no, his land, his people...all destroyed.

The thought could only make him scream again.

"It is a Hokage's duty to ensure he protects his land and people, even at the cost of his own life," he managed with his rasping voice, coughing blood as he spoke.

"Then why!?" he howled. "Why do I, Uzumaki Naruto, Rokudaime Hokage, live when my people are dead!? Kami-sama, do you mock me!?"

No, Naruto decided. Kami-sama was dead to him. No god, no deity could have let such an atrocity occur.

His people, his people...

His remaining eye suddenly widened. "No!"

With all the remaining strength in his legs, he sprinted for the Hokage Residence, or at least, what was left of it.

Despite Naruto's impressive strength and speed, the time still felt like an eternity. He hurtled into the wrecked building, his chakra blasting debris out of his way as he burst up several floors- but it was too late.

The broken body of Sakura lay on the ground. Kakashi's body lay not too far away, as was Yamato's and Sai's.

For the first time in many years, Naruto couldn't stop the tears fall from his right eye. His hands trembled as he reached for Sakura's cold skin. She had been dead for many hours, and judging by the many bruises and slashes on her skin, her death had not been easy or painless.

He sank to the ground, his entire body shaking, his head in his hands, his right eye desperately closed in an attempt to blot out the images...but they wouldn't stop. Countless pictures of his closest friends dying in many different, but all equally terrible and painful ways constantly flashed across his mind's eye, and damn it, he prayed that they had at least ensured their attackers had suffered just as badly-

But they were the only bodies there, and he could not smell blood that wasn't theirs. And his mind tortured him with images of his friends begging for mercy as they were tortured, all crying Naruto's name in hopes of rescue...

"Damn it!" He screamed, slumping against a wall. "Damn it!" His mind, still not thinking straight remained shut, as he crawled towards Sakura's prone body, his hand finding her kunai and bringing it to his throat-

"No!" Naruto threw the kunai away. "I can't die yet...not until they join my brethren."

Slowly, Naruto's mind began changing itself, twisting, warping, seizing hold of the idea of vengeance.

His soul was no longer there, but hate and anger reshaped his body into something new.

Such hatred, such wrath...old friends of his, but he had forced them away, confident he would shine through the darkness.

But no such luck. He was no light, but a shadow. He was born from darkness. And to darkness, he would take his enemies.

He then swore an oath to himself, one that he would soon repeat every day. "They will pay. I'll make them pay if it's the last thing I do."

After all, a shadow could only be eliminated if you extinguished the light.

* * *

A full three days later, Naruto stood in front of the fallen Memorial Stone. He had done all he could for his people now apart from seek vengeance. Each one of his brethren was buried, the funeral rites carried out as well as one man could do. Each shinobi's name was carved into the remnants of the Memorial Stone.

Naruto now was ready for his leave. His wounds healed, he himself clad in new clothes. An eyepatch hid his empty eye socket, and an ordinary brown shirt and green trousers were part of his new garb. The right sleeve of his shirt was torn off, but a red cloth was tied around his arm. His whiskers had been shaved off, and finally, a black scarf was thrown around his shoulders.

"...Rest in peace, citizens and shinobi of Konoha," Naruto whispered to himself. "We will have...vengeance."

Naruto placed his feet together, and saluted the fallen stone.

And with that, he turned away. He seized his pack- containing mostly provisions, considering that he was trying to use no sealing scrolls, due to the fact they would give away his presence as a ninja- and headed for the forests where he would track his prey.

No one would suspect some lone, cheaply-clad wanderer to be a shinobi on the path of vengeance.

The only thing suspicious was the missing eye, blonde hair and numerous scars.

Fortunately, Naruto had already devised a cover story.

He laughed emptily at the irony of it. His friends often wondered what it'd take to get him serious and smarter- it took their deaths.

By using some of the remaining equipment in the Hokage Tower, he had forged himself a set of papers. Uzumaki Naruto, shinobi and Hokage, was now nothing more than a nameless one-eyed mercenary.

His papers also stated his mother came from western lands rather than the Elemental Countries, explaining the blonde hair, which after all, was rather rare.

To top off the disguise, he'd left the kunai and shuriken behind, opting to use knives instead. He'd attached a few to his belt, and one in a leg holster, and a last in a shoulder holster.

"Smoulder for me, will of fire," muttered Naruto as his final prayer to his people..

He'd have to find the trail while it was still fresh. They could hide, they could run. But eventually, he'd find them.

And when he did, he would kill them.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Well, little else to say. No pairings people.

Let's talk about something else- oh yeah, my discontinued fics. Yeah, I'm going to delete them soon, if for some crazy reason you want them, PM me before that.

Oh, and some people may have seen parts of this chapter as being NarutoxSakura. Can't imagine why, and I doubt it really matters now, considering she's dead.

...hmm...what to say...anyone getting inFamous when it gets released? Looks pretty cool. So does Resistance 2. And I hear FarCry looks good...too much choice...


	2. Defeat Hidden in Victory

Naruto loses the trail as he hunts the army

* * *

Chapter I – Defeat Hidden in Victory

"'ere, who's the stranger?" one of the regulars at the bar asked another, gesturing to the man sitting in a shadowy corner.

"Some mercenary," whispered back his friend. "Looks the part an' all, all 'em scars."

Naruto calmly sipped his drink, ignoring the whispers. From experience, he could tell that the regulars were fast losing their interest in him, and it was only a matter of moments before they started recounting their more...interesting gossip.

For a week he had been tracking down the army that destroyed his village. The enemy was skilled at hiding their presence- obviously, considering their surprise attack had wiped out most the village, and when the Konoha-nin fought back, it was too late already- and had a great head start.

Yet Naruto had stuck doggedly to his path. The army had passed through many villages and towns on their way, most likely to keep the army well-fed, after all, victory can only keep morale up for a soldier for so long, but Naruto had closed the gap of three days to a single day, when he had lost their trail altogether.

And here he was- the hunter that had lost his prey, at a remote village near the country's border.

From what Naruto had seen so far, fortunately the country was not destroyed yet. The Daimyo's son had not attended Konoha the same day as his father, meaning a new Daimyo had already been crowned.

Naruto's conclusion was that the samurai and private shinobi at the Daimyo's castle would keep him safe. But it would be decades before the Land of Fire turned into the military power it once was.

Naruto had heard rumours all the way from the other Hidden Villages. None of them were interested in trying to seize the Land of Fire, in fear that the army that destroyed Konoha would destroy them as well.

These rumours implied that whoever the troops were, they were not of a specific Hidden Village. On the other hand, they could be nothing more than mere rumours...

Naruto of course, was simply continuing his task of revenge. Perhaps, if by some miracle he was alive at the end, he would offer his services to the Daimyo. But until then-

"So, just who d'ya reckon were those weird shinobi we saw the other day?"

Naruto's ears pricked up, just as another villager cast a suspicious glance at Naruto.

Slowly, Naruto placed his hand into a pocket. The villagers continued watching Naruto, as he withdrew his hand, revealing a cigar, a lighter and a small knife.

The villagers continued talking as Naruto carefully cut his cigar and lit it.

"What did that crazy nin call himself? The one with the weird dagger?"

"Kuroi, weren't it?"

"Yeah...creepy bastard."

"Where were those ninja headin'?"

"Didn't say, did they?"

"Nah, wasn't there something about them heading north?"

The villagers were silent for a few moments, before one glanced around the bar. "Hey, where did that mercenary go to?"

* * *

Naruto had already left the village. And now, he was truly beginning to realise what the army was doing. It seemed they had split up, but seeing as Naruto had not followed all the paths, he could not say for certain whether they were heading the same way.

It didn't matter, he decided. He was on the trail of the main legion that consisted of the commander, and his mysterious clothed bodyguards.

The Rokudaime surveyed the forest. This was the quickest way the troops could have taken. The branches of the trees were too weak to allow traversing in the forest canopy, so the shinobi had obviously gone on the ground.

And even though they were fast, they were exceedingly good at covering their tracks.

No, not covering their tracks, Naruto thought. They were merely moving fast in a way that ensured they did little to disrupt their surroundings.

If the troops had not destroyed Konoha, Naruto would have even applauded. These were certainly some of the finest shinobi he had seen in years. Well-versed with using every tool available, be it the environment, the element of surprise, or the weather. Hardly reliant on flashy jutsu, incredible teamwork...as much as Naruto loathed admitting it, these soldiers were the true embodiment of ninja.

Naruto drew some more cigar smoke into his mouth, keeping it there for a few moments, and exhaling.

He had hardly been a fan of smoking of any kind before, but Jiraiya hadn't been too adverse to the idea of a cigar once in a while. Usually at special occasions though. Probably came from passive smoking, having to smell the Sandaime smoke his pipe all the time.

And to Naruto, the smell still made him think his old mentor was still with him, even if for a few moments. But those few moments gave him comfort in these dark days.

His small number of possessions was full of mementos. Jiraiya's cigars, Tsunade's necklace, the red cloth tied around his arm had once been part of Sakura's headband, the gloves he wore had adorned the hands of Kakashi- he had taken those as they were the only part of the man not coated in blood-

A cold smile formed on Naruto's face. He had found the trail.

Instantly, he sprang into action, following the traces his prey had left behind.

Everything he could use to track, he did. Utilising every sense he had, watching for every bent blade of grass, any imprint in the ground, any unusual smells, any disturbances in the environment that could suggest someone had passed.

It was difficult, and his opponent is clever, he acknowledged to himself.

But Naruto was on their trail, and once he had found it, he was fast to follow it.

And originally, it had seemed the troops had been headed towards Otogakure, Orochimaru's- or more correctly, the _late_ Orochimaru's old hideaway. Now it seemed they were heading towards Kumo or Iwa.

Naruto highly doubted the men were part of a village. If that were the case, the village they belonged to would be singing of their glorious victory over Konoha. No, these men, whoever they were, were of no village he could think of.

Naruto continued along his way for many hours, and as his speed increased, he began to realise that the tracks were very, very new. He grinned. He was most likely only a day behind.

And then the trail vanished.

The one-eyed man cursed to himself. It would take him- suddenly, he caught the scent of smoke. He looked to the horizon, and sure enough, smoke was rising, not too far away.

"Was Konoha not their only target?" Naruto mused, before quashing the thought. The smoke in the air was far too small a quantity to be of a village.

Most likely, just a single house. If that was the case, it was likely the residents had seen anyone who had passed.

Content in that thought, Naruto approached the area. He was correct in thinking it was a single house, but there was no sign of inhabitants.

"Strange," he murmured. "It is not evening for several hours...and the house has definitely been lived in recently, at least."

The smoke came from an unattended bonfire outside the house, and Naruto began putting things together in his head from his shelter in the shadows of the forest.

The first answer he came to was that the people had been killed by the troops- but he could not think why. The army had passed through many villages and towns, and to Naruto's knowledge, had not killed anyone since they massacred the citizens of Konoha.

The second was that the people were hiding, or for all he knew, it was a trap.

* * *

Resolving to himself to find the answer, Naruto left the trees, advancing towards the house. He drew the knife from his shoulder holster, and approached the door.

Unsurprisingly, it was locked.

A kick fixed that, and Naruto stepped into the house, his eyes swiftly contrasting from the bright sunlight outside to the gloom inside the residence.

Tentatively, he inhaled the air, but could not find any scent of blood or flesh.

He took another step in, constantly rotating to examine his surroundings. Naruto came to a stop, and began walking in-

"Hands up."

The glint of metal suddenly appeared in the darkness, and Naruto span to face his ambusher, knife readied.

"Who are you?" said Naruto.

There was shuffling in the darkness, but his ambusher's blade was not lowered.

"You've got some nerve, _mate_. Kicking down my door and wandering in here with a knife, and then asking me who I am?"

"You're the resident here?" asked Naruto.

"Who'd ya think I was? Drop the knife."

"An army has recently passed this way. Have you seen where they went?"

There was a silence, tension slowly filling the air between the two.

"Drop the knife," repeated the ambusher.

"Tell me. Have you seen which way they went?" demanded Naruto, poising his knife to throw it if necessary.

Once again, there was silence, and once again, the ambusher broke it.

"...Do you intend...to harm them?"

"I do not intend to harm them," stated Naruto. "I am going to kill them."

The ambusher looked keenly at Naruto, surveying him. "You look like a mercenary, stranger. But no mercenary would hunt down an army on his own. Who are you really?"

"I did ask you first," replied Naruto. "Who are you?"

"...My name is Kuhai." The man suddenly scoffed. "Former ninja of Konoha, for what that means."

The lights came on, and Naruto was suddenly face to face with Kuhai, and now, Naruto was able to recognise the katana Kuhai held- the kind issued to the ANBU of Konoha.

Kuhai limped over, and Naruto also noticed that Kuhai was missing his right leg, which had been replaced with a peg leg.

"So, who are you?"

"...Uzumaki Naruto."

"Uzumaki Naruto is dead," said Kuhai, raising his katana in his right hand, his left hand pulling a kunai from his belt. "Don't mock me, stranger."

"Uzumaki Naruto is dead?" said Naruto. "What did he die off?"

"Some tracker of that army if you don't know that. The army have been boasting far and wide of their great victory at Konoha. Uzumaki's death was also advertised. Stab wound in the throat, lost his left eye, and then had a burning building dropped on him. Numerous other wounds."

"Stab wound in the throat? Like this one?" Naruto tugged off his scarf, revealing a nasty scar on his neck. "Lost a left eye? Like this one?" He pointed to his eyepatch.

Kuhai scoffed again. "It takes more proof then that, stranger."

"Then fine, forget it," said Naruto impatiently. "Just tell me where this army was heading."

Kuhai contemplated Naruto's words, before responding. "The army had split up. That's why we were hiding- in case the rest of them came along."

"We?"

"My family," replied Kuhai.

"I was already aware the army had split," Naruto continued. "I'll ask you a last time. Where were they headed?"

"..North I've heard they're going to make a deal with a kage. Obviously, either Raikage or Tsuchikage."

Naruto nodded. The best explanation for this was that the kage, fearing his village would meet Konoha's fate, wished to make a deal.

Konoha had never been on friendly terms with Kumo or Iwa but Naruto knew even they did not deserve such an end. He'd have to speed up.

"Many thanks, Kuhai," said Naruto, turning away and heading towards the door. Once he reached the door, he stopped, and faced the man a last time. "By the way. If you and your family were hiding- why did you light a bonfire?"

"...What bonfire?"

Naruto then suddenly noticed that the windows in the room did not show the bonfire- it was on the other side of the house. It appeared Kuhai genuinely didn't know about the bonfire, but then-

"If you didn't light the fire-" Naruto's previous theory about the smoke being a trap suddenly came back to him, and he quickly pushed open the door, hurryingly covering his head with his black scarf.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kuhai followed Naruto outside, but even though the fire was not visible from that side of the house, he could both see and smell the smoke. "Who the hell lit that?"

"Kuhai. Get back inside. Keep your sword close."

"Look-"

Naruto suddenly pushed the former ninja backwards into the house, and a moment later, several shuriken had shot through the air where Kuhai had been, all landing in the door.

"Show yourselves!" roared Naruto.

"Very good, mercenary-san." A blue-clad shinobi appeared, and several other soldiers appeared around him. "The boss had already realised that we were being followed. So, we have come back for you."

Good, Naruto thought. They didn't know who he really was.

"Who are you?!" he demanded.

"Me?" The blue-clad shinobi laughed. "I am the greatest thing humanity has to offer, and the lowest! I am Aoiro!"

"Fucking little clown," growled Naruto. "You think I'm scared of you?"

"I don't want your fear, mercenary-san. I want your head. Now!"

Fortunately, this time, Naruto knew how the army worked.

He quickly turned to his left, his knife parrying a katana. In a fluid motion, he grabbed the sword hand of his enemy, pulling him in and slicing his throat.

With his knife in his left hand, Naruto grabbed the dead man's sword in his right as the rest of the troops moved in.

Naruto had stopped using ninjutsu, and most of his ninja skills.

At first, when he was burying his citizen's bodies, he first intended to use one of his signature jutsus, the Kage Bunshin, or as some called it, Shadow Clone.

But it felt...wrong. Not just wrong to know he would have been using a shortcut so he could merely speed up a ceremony that he should not be looking for shortcuts in, but chakra...felt foreign to him.

He had stopped using it. Demonic chakra, human chakra, even the nature chakra.

He'd noticed many other things. He found it harder to sense Kyuubi's presence. His accelerated healing had slowed. But it wasn't down to these things as to why he stopped using chakra, it was because it merely felt wrong to him.

And it made sense. He was a ninja killer now, not a ninja. He could never be called a shinobi of Konoha again, when Konoha had been destroyed.

Naruto slammed an enemy to the ground, quickly impaling the hapless shinobi on the ground. He then rolled to the side, neatly avoiding another strike.

His new fighting style was merely...revisions of what he had seen. Some could consider it a cross between that of a brawler and some unknown martial art.

Naruto continued his fight, arms moving incredibly fast, parrying, striking, countering. His enemies used a very complex and efficient fighting style, but Naruto had seen enough of it to have analysed it- and thus, gained the knowledge to counter it.

And he was doing just that, as he battled his way, knife in one hand, sword in the other, both bloodied.

Naruto impaled a man with the sword, but did not remove the blade from the body, having not the time, as he pivoted around to quickly parry a katana with his knife.

His empty hand reached for his foe's sword arm, gripping tightly and twisting the man around, until Naruto was holding him as a human shield.

This did not daunt his other attackers, who continued, and Naruto opted not to slow himself down by continuing to hold the man, so quickly snapped his neck.

Naruto threw the body at one ninja, before placing his knife between himself and a katana. A quick flick of the wrist, and Naruto grabbed the ninja's arm, ramming his elbow into the man's face, causing him to drop the katana, before Naruto slashed his throat.

A short bit of knife-work later, and it was over. Naruto stood in the midst of his falling enemies, when he remembered-

He threw himself sideways, avoiding an explosive thrown at him, that tore the earth into a crater- albeit a small one.

Naruto quickly affixed his scarf. He'd have to get a hood, but the smoke and dust that had risen from the explosion was concealing him for the moment while he kept his identity secret.

"I am Aoira, the boss' demolition expert. And he, the commander has selected me to destroy you. And I will not fail," said Aoira, appearing in the distance.

"You are going to die," Naruto stated. "Snivelling or determination will not save you."

The Hokage Mountain had been destroyed, certainly by explosives. And this Aoira was certainly responsible for it. As well as the countless explosions he had seen during the battle.

Aoira slipped a hand into the front of his blue clothes, removing several explosive tags, placing three in each hand.

"Come...come, mercenary-san!"

The two men sprinted at each other, engaging each other in close combat, Naruto attempting to stab Aoira, whereas Aoira attempted to place a tag on Naruto.

Aoira sidestepped Naruto's attack, slapping a tag on. Naruto quickly ripped it off and hurled it away, and it exploded not too far away. Aoira moved in again, irritated how easily Naruto had dealt with his tag.

Naruto ducked under Aoira's flailing arms, kicking at the man's legs. Aoira easily avoided- being surprisingly fast- and merely attempted to place a tag on Naruto's leg.

The Rokudaime rolled to the left, and Aoira took the time to place an explosive tag on a kunai. Placing the remaining tags into his left hand, and his kunai-with-tag in the right, he launched himself forwards.

The two short blades clashed, but as Naruto pulled away, Aoira threw the kunai at Naruto's feet.

"Die!" he cackled, as he saw Naruto's surprised face, and clearly, the man would have had no time to escape.

The dust began to settle, and Aoira caught sight of a body lying in the crater. To check it was not an illusion, he threw a shuriken at it- which sank into the flesh.

"Commander, I've carried out your task!" Aoira started laughing, when suddenly he was grabbed from behind, and a knife placed at his throat.

"Surprise," growled Naruto.

"You!? But you died-!" Aoira cut himself off, noticing the corpse of one of his own ninja lying in the crater, and realised what Naruto had done.

He had escaped the blast, and used the dust and smoke as a cover so he could throw a corpse into the crater. He had then merely waited for Aoira to let his guard down, and that was it.

"I've wired my own body to my explosives!" Aoira hissed angrily. "Kill me, and we all go!"

Naruto scoffed. "Fool. Don't lie to me."

Aoira struggled feebly. Naruto had discovered his bluff.

"By the way...my name's Naruto."

"What!?" Aoira craned his neck, noticing the scarf had been loosened from the explosion. The eyepatch, the blonde hair, the scars...

And that was the last image the man ever saw, as a knife slit his throat.

Naruto released his hold on the body, letting it drop to the ground. His eye suddenly widened, and he quickly covered his face again.

* * *

"Well, well, well. So you killed Aoira."

The Rokudaime turned, his eye resting on the sight of another individual, clad in similar clothes to Aoira, but unlike Aoira's single colour scheme, this individual was clothed in several colours, all shades of grey...

And he did not wear anything to conceal his face.

"Who are you? Another one of these fools?"

"I beg to differ on the comment "fools"," replied the man.

Naruto continued watching him. The man- firstly, looked young, maybe even younger then Naruto himself. As well as that, the man carried several bladed weapons.

"Who am I? The name is Subeta. I am the blade expert of the commander's forces."

"Are all of you given a single strong point?" asked Naruto.

Subeta laughed. "Perhaps so. But that strong point is enough to crush our enemies."

"Like he did?" asked Naruto mockingly, kicking Aoira's body.

Subeta continued laughing, approaching Naruto, when he came to a sudden stop, his face deathly serious. "If you're an enemy...then die!"

The blade expert drew a katana and lunged at Naruto, who instantly blocked with the knife.

Subeta continued attacking, but Naruto continued parrying, but inwardly conceded that Subeta was skilled with the blade, but-

Naruto darted out of the katana's slice, and grabbed Subeta's shoulder, ramming his knee into Subeta's chest, and the man staggered back, dropping his sword.

Moments later, Naruto grabbed the man and slammed him to the ground.

"Fool," commented Naruto.

Subeta rolled to the side, climbing back to his feet, fury evident on his face as he unsheathed a second katana.

Naruto shot forwards, grabbing the katana's hilt, and swung it in a way, that for the second time, Subeta was sent to the ground.

The man attempted to roll away, but stopped at the sight of his katana pointed at his throat.

"Tell me. How long have you served in this army?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" hissed Subeta, eyes glaring with hatred.

"Precisely what it sounded like," replied Naruto. "How about this way? Were you part of the army when they destroyed Konoha?"

"No," said Subeta, eyes still narrowed. "Regretfully."

"Hardly," remarked Naruto, removing the katana from Subeta's throat. "It is what has saved your life. Be on your way."

Subeta climbed to his feet, still angry. "You...what was your little throw tricks?"

"No tricks. Besides, you weren't even the blade expert you claim to be. You use techniques more suited to a shorter sword, maybe even a machete. So, boy...go."

"This isn't over yet," swore Subeta, before he disappeared into thin air, leaving a small amount of dark smoke behind.

Naruto was silent for a few moments, watching the smoke settle, until he murmured : "...For your sake, hope it is over yet... boy."

The door to the house swung open, and Kuhai, followed by a woman, and a small girl that could only be his wife and daughter appeared in the doorway.

"Barely any scratches..." Kuhai came closer, while his wife and daughter remained in the doorway. "Well, I'll be. You are the legendary Rokudaime Hokage."

Naruto unwrapped the scarf from around his head, before nodding.

"I can't do much, Rokudaime. But this should at least help you." Kuhai surrendered a garment to Naruto, who eyed it.

"A hooded cloak?" was all Naruto said, as he eyed the brown cloth, unusually patterned in different shapes, and black.

Kuhai shrugged. "It'll cover your face better then that scarf. And I've found the colour and patterns aren't too bad as camouflage in the woods. I use it when I go hunting."

Naruto, in the interests of being polite, didn't ask how a one-footed man went hunting, but secured the cloak around his shoulders, first removing his scarf, which he put on over the cloak.

"Good luck, Rokudaime."

"And to you." Naruto nodded, turning away as the three people began to put out the bonfire.

As Naruto re-entered the woods, an explosion sounded behind him, and he spun around, only to see Kuhai and his family lying on the ground in a crater, bloodied.

"What the-!" Naruto hurried to the three, it appeared they were already dead.

Sadly, the Rokudaime turned away. Aoira had placed a special bomb in the bonfire, one with water sensors- in other words, to explode when the bonfire was ignited. But then...there was a cough behind Naruto.

It was Kuroi- not dead perhaps due to his ninja training- but the man was already knocking at death's door, coughing blood.

"Rokudaime..." he managed. "Draw your knife and kill me, so they can't say that the fool wearing blue killed him."

Naruto drew his knife. The old him would have protested the action, but that person had died long ago. "Rest in peace, friend." Naruto killed the man instantly, as painlessly as he could have done.

Already, he could hear Aoira's mocking laughter.

* * *

The cigars- I wanted Naruto to have a Jiraiya-ish habit, but I don't think being drunk and visiting brothels fit in with his character, so I made up a habit for Jiraiya.

There's more twists coming up in the storyline, and we learn the name of the commander...and it's some guy we don't know...but he knows Naruto...

The commander turns out to be more of a clever person then the celebrating moron we saw in the prologue.

Who can guess what fighting style Naruto's...fighting style is based on? Respond in reviews.


	3. Failure

There's loads of stuff for you all in this fun-filled, well, not really fun, chapter. Naruto learns the Commander's real name- and it's someone he doesn't know! Or does he?

* * *

Chapter II- Failure

"A mercenary?" questioned one of the Iwa ninja, looking at Naruto suspiciously.

"That's right," Naruto's cold smile was visible, even though his hood masked the rest of his face. "Worried I'll be putting you out of your job, ninja?"

The Iwa-nin Naruto had addressed snarled in anger, but a more official-looking one stepped forwards. "We'll be having none of that lip, mercenary. And watch your temper, boy."

Naruto nodded at the man, as the Stone ninja continued checking over his papers.

"You don't have a name?" one shinobi asked, looking over at Naruto, clearly suspicious.

"That a crime?"

The ninja ignored Naruto's comments and continued examining his papers.

"By the way, you're in luck, mercenary. Tsuchikage-sama has started hiring mercenaries over the past couple of days, and there's still still several spots not filled."

"Well, how about that," said Naruto, using that drawl he had given to his mercenary alter-ego. "What does this work include?"

In truth Naruto was not interested in any work, but chose to agree for two reasons. One, a mercenary's life was hard, and it was very unlikely for one to turn down the proposal of work. Last, this hiring was certainly to do with the army's arrival. It was not public knowledge, but it would be soon.

"You'll be briefed once you enlist at the tower." The ninja stamped Naruto's papers. "Now, I'll need you to remove your hood."

"Why?"

"We can't let any potential assassin go to the Tsuchikage, can we? Remove the hood."

Naruto did not move.

"Remove the hood."

The hot-blooded Iwa-nin from earlier came forwards. "Are you deaf? Remove the hood!"

Naruto ignored their words, and the Iwa-nin grabbed at Naruto, only for Naruto to catch his arm and shove him away.

This action caused all the Iwa-nin to draw weapons- save the leader, who ordered his men to stand down.

"You don't have a name and you won't show us your face. I'm beginning to think you're hiding something."

Naruto shrugged. "Guess you're right.

The shinobi kept his eyes fixed on Naruto, clearly weighing up his options.

"Rookie!" he barked, calling another one of the ninja in the crowd. "Escort our guest to the tower."

"Yes sir!" saluted the ninja politely. "This way, mercenary-san."

Naruto moved first, being ushered into the village, and the leader took the time to whisper into the "rookie's" ear. "If he tries anything, incapacitate or kill him."

"Of course. Do you think I'm a fool?" hissed the "rookie", showing it was merely an act.

"Hey, hurry up," Naruto turned around. "I need my escort."

"Ah, coming, mercenary-san!"

"Cut the shit. I heard your little "kill the mercenary talk"," said Naruto, beginning to walk deeper into the village.

The ninja was stunned for a few moments, before following Naruto.

* * *

Once in the tower, Naruto was brought to the Tsuchikage's office.

"Who's this vagrant?" demanded the Tsuchikage, also known as Kyouran.

"He's a mercenary, Tsuchikage-sama," replied his aide.

The Tsuchikage's attitude immediately changed."Excellent. Can never have too many men, that's what I've always said," said Kyouran leaning forwards in his chair.

"What's this job entail?"

"I am currently...in negotiations," stated Kyouran. "I require...bodyguards."

"Don't you have special forces for that?" said Naruto, actually confused.

"I do, but I can only have so many ninja without people noticing an absence of ninja," responded Kyouran. "I require this kept out of the public eye."

Naruto shrugged. "Sounds fine. Where do I sign?"

Kyouran passed forwards a form, which Naruto filled in, before handing back to the Kage, who inspected it.

"No name?" he asked, looking over at Naruto.

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, no, of course not." The Tsuchikage stood. "You actually came just in time. My negotiations will occur in a matter of moments."

* * *

And Naruto was right. It was to do with the army. Currently, he, several Iwa-ninja, and a large mob of mercenaries stood behind and around the seated Tsuchikage, who sat across the commander of the army, who in turn had several of his bodyguards, including the deadly Kuroi.

There was no table separating the two sides, but the room.

Naruto noted the commander's looks. He had never actually fought the man at Konoha, but Kuroi instead.

The commander had black hair, and slightly pale skin. Although Naruto could state one hundred percent he had never met the man, he knew somewhere, he had seen him before Konoha's Fall.

Black hair, pale skin...Naruto contemplated it, but the only person he had ever met who could really fit those standards was Orochimaru, and this commander actually looked human, still around thirties or early forties in age, and anyway, the old snake was dead.

"My dear Tsuchikage, you really have nothing to profit by your snivelling," stated the commander. "Surrender your village, or meet Konoha's fate, I'm afraid it's as simple as that."

"Iwa does not surrender!"

"It has, on many occasions, one on occasion to the village I destroyed with ease."

Kyouran tightened his fist. The two had been "negotiating" for nearly a hour, and no luck for Iwa so far. The kage then flashed a signal at the mercenaries to draw their weapons.

"I demand that you leave the Earth Country!"

The commander raised his head. "Kuroi, deal with the fools who have drawn weapons."

Kuroi nodded, before disappearing- and reappearing amongst the mercenaries, tearing through them with his trademark dagger. In moments, Naruto was the only left, and Kuroi jumped at him-

Only to see his dagger parried by Naruto's knife.

Kuroi drew back, before attacking again. And once again, Naruto parried.

"Kuroi, stay," said the commander, as if speaking to a dog, and Kuroi withdrew. "Tsuchikage, I will give you your last chance. Surrender or die."

"...Kill him!" roared the Tsuchikage, summoning his finest ninja, who attacked the commander and his bodyguard.

Naruto joined in, easily killing two of the ninja, before Kuroi- who had already killed the other ninja the Tsuchikage sent- blocked him.

"Kyouran, you are going to die," said the commander gravely, and Kyouran's face paled, as he began looking around desperately. "Firstly though- mercenary."

"What?" said Naruto, stepping back from Kuroi, looking at the commander.

"It's been rare for me to see someone who could kill two of my men with ease, and even parry Kuroi's dagger. Someone like you has a place in my new world."

"New...world? What the hell's that about?"

The commander laughed, mysteriously tapping his nose. "Ah, that's secret, until you join. Well, mercenary?"

"...Why not?" Naruto outstretched his hand, and the commander shook it, but as he made to let go, Naruto quickly threw him to the ground.

"Die!" The Rokudaime lunged at the commander, his knife poised, to end the life of the man-

But the commander caught his arm, before throwing him across the room. Naruto self-righted himself in mid-air, only to realise something was missing.

His hood was no longer raised, and the commander's eyes widened as he saw the face of a man he had thought dead.

"You! Uzumaki? Alive?!"

"Surprise, surprise." Naruto darted forwards, only to be intercepted by Kuroi again.

The one-eyed man snarled in anger, using brute strength to shove the black-clad shinobi away. He stabbed at Kuroi's throat, but Kuroi easily sidestepped, before slashing at Naruto's face.

Naruto ducked under the slash, before bringing a fist up into Kuroi's chin.

Most men would have staggered away, clutching their chin in response. Kuroi carried on as if nothing had occurred.

"Kuroi!" The commander called his right-hand to his side. "Tsuchikage...if you want to protect your village, kill Uzumaki."

"The son of the Yondaime Hokage? Gladly. Shinobi!" Within moments, Naruto was surrounded by Iwa-shinobi.

"Let's go men," said the commander, turning away. "Tsuchikage, send me Uzumaki's head on a pike when you're done. Hm...Gurei! See to it that Uzumaki does not live."

Gurei was one of the commander's elite guard, the strange-clad shinobi that featured the likes of Kuroi and Subeta- and had featured Aoira. Gurei was clad in grey, but unlike any of the previous guard, he carried no weapons.

"You're not going anywhere!" roared Naruto at the commander's retreating back.

"I'm afraid I am," responded the commander. "And...of course...Uzumaki, in case you live...I'll gift you with my name. Reikon Shinratsu."

"Can't say I'm familiar with that name."

"No. None of you were," said Shinratsu, anger seeping into his voice. "Move out."

And the Iwa-ninja took this as their cue to attack, and suddenly the ground began to crumble at Naruto's feet, while the ceiling started to fall over his head.

Naruto didn't wait, and charged forwards.

An Iwa-nin hurtled forwards to meet him, but Naruto quickly caught his fist, before slamming the man to the ground. A quick draw of the knife and a crouch, and Naruto had pierced the man's neck with his knife, and already moved on.

Spikes of hardened earth hurtled at him, and Naruto threw himself out of the way, throwing a knife at the man who had formed the jutsu. A large ninja appeared behind him, attempting to crush him with a large blade.

Naruto's raw physical prowess was what kept his knife parrying such a blade, and the Rokudaime quickly planted a foot in the man's stomach. The shinobi dropped the blade-which Naruto caught.

The Rokudaime sliced through the ninja with the elongated blade, before spinning around, using the blade to deflect a barrage of shuriken.

A group jumped at him, all wielding katanas, but they made the mistake in believing that the large blade would make Naruto slower, only to see that the large blade was not as heavy and unwieldy as it seems- as Naruto butchered the lot of them.

The ninja dead, Kyouran himself attacked. Earthen walls rose up around Naruto, concealing from where his enemy would attack. Slowly, a stone spear formed behind him, before launching through the air.

Naruto didn't even have to turn around, but merely dodged to the left, watching the spear crash into the wall.

"Please, do you think you can kill me with such a childish strategy?"

In response, earthen spikes rose into the air above Naruto, and then they fired, all the spikes heading towards different areas in the makeshift room, so wherever Naruto went, he would be hit.

Naruto slowly looked up at the spikes rising above him, but made no attempt to move, but then, at the last possible moment, he cleaved the spike heading towards him in two.

He continued, destroying each spike as it came towards him. The last spike he stopped with his bare hand, and Naruto hurled it into the one of the earth walls, revealing Kyouran.

"Impressive, Rokudaime!" shouted the Tsuchikage. "But do not mock me any longer!"

"...Mock you? What are you talking about?"

"Please, you were renowned for your skill with ninjutsu, and abilities to use other forms of chakra. Do you think me such a pitiful opponent who does not require these skills to defeat?"

Naruto chose to lie. "Yes."

"Bastard!" roared Kyouran, before creating a huge boulder, which he hurled at Naruto.

Using the blade, Naruto launched himself into the air, over the boulder which crashed into one side of the room. The ceiling started to crumble, and Naruto turned back to the Tsuchikage- only to realise he had vanished.

"What's the matter, Rokudaime!?"

Of course. Naruto had heard about the Iwa-ninja possessing a particularly good camouflage jutsu, which provided the user with near-perfect invisibility. Few things could see through it, and the Sharingan was one of them.

Earth began shifting itself, forming clones of the Tsuchikage. Fortunately, they would not be as powerful as the kage himself, but considering they used so little chakra- the fight was becoming more dangerous by the second.

And as for Gurei, the man had disappeared from the fight ages ago.

Naruto raised the large sword again, charging through the clones, brutally eliminating them. Within moments, Naruto stood amongst mounds of earth.

If he wants to make clones again- his body will release chakra. If I can sense it, his invisibility jutsu becomes useless! Naruto thought.

The earth began shifting itself- and Naruto saw it! The chakra!

He hurled the sword, and it crashed into the side of the broken boulder- revealing it had impaled Kyouran, who had been clinging to the boulder's side.

"Damn...you." Kyouran choked his last words, before dying painfully.

Naruto sighed- as a gigantic bear crashed into the building, Gurei seated atop of it.

"...I am Gurei," the man rasped, as if talking was painful. "I am the boss's summon expert. You will die."

The bear roared, and lunged at Naruto. Naruto jumped out of the way of its gaping jaws, and rolled away from a swipe of the claws.

Naruto removed his knife, although he couldn't imagine how it would defeat the bear. Such a weapon was like an insect's bite to such a great beast. He dodged out of the way of another swipe, before the bear charged, attempting to crush him under its immense mass.

Naruto ran. He attempted to circle the bear, but with such size it was pointless.

The beast 's head shot forwards, and Naruto found himself staring into the bear's mouth. Fortunately, he kept enough of his reflexes to leap backwards, avoiding a painful death being eaten alive.

The one-eyed man hurled a knife at Gurei, who merely caught it, and threw it across the room, as if not interested by the weapon.

Gurei opened his mouth slowly, and the bear came to a halt. "You and I...we are both of the wind."

Chakra was suddenly visible around the bear's claws, and Naruto quickly understood Gurei's comment.

The bear slashed at the Rokudaime, and Naruto this time leapt even further away then he needed to- but a slash still appeared across his face.

"Wind manipulation," murmured Naruto.

Naruto quickly concluded that fighting the bear head-on was suicide- at least, without his jutsu. His chance was to fight Gurei.

The bear sent its arm forwards, and this time Naruto jumped above the chakra-enhanced claws, landing on the bear's arm. He sprinted up the arm, heading towards Gurei-

When a wind gust suddenly blew Naruto away, sending him across the room.

Naruto cursed. How could have he not realised? Gurei was of wind-affinity, and certainly capable of defending himself in such a situation.

He quickly looked around, searching the environment for anything that could help him-after all, more Iwa-nin were certainly on their way.

Yet all that was there was the Tsuchikage's corpse next to him.

The bear's fist shot forwards, the fist ready to crush, the claws ready to impale.

Naruto grabbed the blade that impaled the Tsuchikage and fell to the ground, under the bear's paw. He rolled over, piercing the hand of the bear with the sword.

The beast roared, springing into the air, and Gurei was thrown from his mount, crashing to the ground.

Gurei rolled onto his back, attempting to cry out commands to the bear, but to his shock, it would be too late for him, as the beast stumbled backwards.

"...!" Gurei didn't even have the time to cry out, as he was killed by his own summon. Moments later, the bear vanished as well in smoke, its summoner dead.

Naruto had little time to dwell on his victory. Shinratsu still couldn't have gotten too far away...and anyway, the Iwa-ninja would be here in seconds.

Iwagakure had nothing for him now.

* * *

"So, Gurei and Kyouran failed," Reikon Shinratsu said to himself, watching Iwagakure in the far distance. "And you say Uzumaki does not use his ninjutsu any more?"

"Nay milord," said his spy.

"Interesting, most interesting...Kuroi!"

The black-clad ninja immediately knelt in front of his lord. "Yes, milord. What would you ask of me?"

"You were the one who defeated Uzumaki when we destroyed Konoha. Did he use his ninjutsu then?"

"Yes milord. He seemed...reliant on it."

"Strange," said Shinratsu, clasping his hands together in his seat. "Why would Uzumaki Naruto, a man who's greatest strength lay in ninjutsu and chakra, chose to forsake those abilities? Hm...Akai."

"Yes, milord?" asked the red-clad shinobi.

"Fetch the elite guard. All of them...that is left."

Not too long later, Shinratsu was still seated in his throne-like chair, but this time, his elite ninja were in front of him.

Kuroi, his right-hand-man and chief bodyguard, the best fighter, second only to Shinratsu himself. Akai, an expert in stealth and camouflage-despite the red garb-, made a fine assassin, thief and reconnaissance man. Subeta, the blade expert, who had recently started using shorter blades for some reason or another.

There were more as well. Anryoku who wore dark green, and as he called himself, was an "illusionist," or as more people would know, a genjutsu specialist. Haganeiro, in steel-blue, a member of the former Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, who had lost his left arm during the battle at Konoha- hence why Subeta had joined up- but fortunately for Haganeiro, he was also an expert with water ninjutsu- and one-handed seals. Finally, Fujiiro, the only female of the group, wearing light purple. She was the group's expert in sealing jutsu- fuinjutsu.

Shinratsu sighed. He had lost four of his elite. Aoira, his demolition expert had died. Gurei, who wielded one of the most powerful summon creatures- as well as being skilled with wind element ninjutsu- was also dead. Two other elites had been killed during the Fall of Konoha, Buraun and Ieroo.

He needed more elites, but if the army that had crushed Konoha was suddenly revealed as having several key members dead, the fear that the populace had for them would decrease.

And he had worked too hard for that. He had much work to do still, and Uzumaki being alive was very damaging to his work.

Sadly, he wouldn't be able to finish the man himself. He was simply too busy with his schemes and plans. Iwa was weakened now with their Kage dead, and were ripe for a takeover. In fact, if he used the Tsuchikage's death correctly, he'd be able to win Iwa over without any bloodspill at all.

Even though he wanted to kill most of Iwa, he needed more pawns for his plans.

"Uzumaki is alive," Shinratsu spoke. "He is the man I want dead the most- the one I wanted dead more is dead, but sadly, not by our hands. Uzumaki could not defeat Kuroi the first time, and that was barely a week or so ago. However, he has killed four other elites- two without his ninjutsu. He is without a doubt, dangerous. And as well as that, he is after us as well."

"The seven of us will be split into three groups. Subeta, Fujiiro, you will be with me, as my bodyguard, in the strange eventuality that I should be unable to defeat Uzumaki."

"Milord, I protest. Let me go after Uzumaki-" Subeta started, but Shinratsu raised his hand, signifying silence.

"There are only two among us who could be guaranteed to fight him to a standstill. Myself, and Kuroi. I do not question your abilities, but many fools have died due to underestimating. Such as the Tsuchikage. He merely hurled jutsu after jutsu at Uzumaki, and what did it do for him? It got him a blade through the body."

"Kuroi, you are with Anryoku. Haganeiro, with Akai. In these teams, even Uzumaki will fall. And in the eventuality that one team falls- the other is to return. Then, the remaining elite-and myself- will hunt Uzumaki together."

Shinratsu placed his fingertips together, leaning forwards. "In fact, to ensure that eventuality does not occur, I will have it known that he who kills Uzumaki, has the favour of our great army. Every mercenary and ninja in the Elemental Countries will hunt him now."

The coloured elite nodded, before disappearing off to their own duties, leaving Shinratsu to think alone.

"The board is set, Uzumaki. Your turn."

* * *

Naruto spat blood into his hand. He would've have spat the crimson liquid onto the ground, but it would leave a clear trail. Thanks to the adrenaline released during his fights, Naruto had been fighting not noticing wounds or injuries. Now he was paying the price.

He coughed fervently, before glancing at the trail. There had been few of them, and they had not moved fast- thus meaning a more difficult trail to find.

Previously, his injuries would have been of no consequence to him, thanks to the regenerative abilities of the Kyuubi. But when those abilities had healed him of so many wounds that would have been fatal otherwise- it seems he had used up all of his regeneration abilities.

"Damn it!" he coughed, his voice rasping.

He stumbled onto a knee, coughing heavily, when his eye suddenly caught sight of something.

A slight impression on soft ground, a recent one, the impression resembling- a print. The hunt was back on.

Reinvigorated, Naruto rose with pure willpower alone. He stormed forwards, the trail seeming more clear to him then before, starting to speed up as his gut began guiding him to his foes-

And then he stopped.

Who was he fooling? He was injured, weak, dragging himself along with the strength of his mind, not his body.

If he was to fight Shinratsu and his coloured elites, he'd be destroyed.

Loathe to admit, he needed time to heal, to rest. The concept seemed foreign to him, too normal and humane for the monster he had become- and needed to become- to seek revenge.

He was still in Earth Country. Anywhere he went, he'd be found eventually, hunted down as the murderer of the Tsuchikage.

Naruto stumbled onto both knees. With the time he'd need to heal, the time he'd spend escaping, the time Shinratsu would gain- he had failed.

Failed at least, for now. It would be weeks again, before he found them again.

Reluctantly, Naruto changed course, heading for a place of healing.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Just a couple of things.

Yes, Naruto has nicked a sword. It's not a katana or a zanbato, I've pictured it as a great sword or a zweihander. I found this interesting article about you could have one at 190 cm and it still wouldn't even weigh 6 kg.

It won't be Naruto's primary weapon, but I figured since he will use chakra, at rare certain points, he can't just rely on a knife.


	4. Swordsmen

Naruto starts to use a bit of chakra in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter III- Swordsmen

Naruto's fingers raised the cigar to his lips, and he slowly breathed smoke into his mouth, not letting it go into his lungs.

As he tasted the smoke, his thoughts, yet again, returned to Shinratsu.

He was nearly at peak performance, and nearly ready to restart his task. He released the smoke from his mouth, continuing in his thoughts.

The Colours-as he'd once heard them called- were searching for him. Few spoke of their names, but their signifying colours were known. Black with dark green. Red with steel blue. The two teams hunting down the man called Uzumaki Naruto, the last known Konoha-nin in existence.

His mind drifted slowly through memories...he had defeated so many opponents over the years, had seen terrible foes such as Pein or Madara, and yet, Shinratsu- , not even Shinratsu, his servant Kuroi had defeated him.

How? Naruto repeated to himself a question he had asked himself so many times. How did he lose?

He pondered over it, and time went on. It was not until Naruto had smoked the entire cigar when he realised the answer, obvious as it was.

Shinratsu was different from any foe he had encountered. The man had clearly an intelligent mind, and as for the skills of his troops- they were not the type of inherited techniques, they were things learned and made better. Something Rock Lee and Gai always referred to as "Geniuses of Hard Work."

As well as that, Naruto found himself wondering more about Shinratsu's motives. Clearly, Shinratsu had some long grudge with Konoha- but Naruto had researched more, and it seemed the man had a dream for the world.

Finally, what was this hatred Shinratsu had for him? He'd heard the man had displayed his eye as a trophy, and even mentioned about having the thing served up as a meal. Who was Reikon Shinratsu? The black hair, the slightly pale skin...

An image of another dark-haired ninja who'd hated him flashed to mind, but Naruto quickly dismissed it. Sasuke was long dead. And as well as that, Shinratsu not only looked older, sounded different, and clearly lacked the Sharingan.

As he stood, Naruto couldn't help but let his thoughts go back to comparing Sasuke to Shinratsu, before concluding the men were nothing alike. Shinratsu appeared very calm, composed, analytical, whereas Sasuke...the bastard was a moron.

_

* * *

_

"SASUKE!" roared Naruto, blood seeping from his forehead over his eye, the crimson fluid looking like the tattoos of some barbaric warrior.

_"NARUTO!" Sasuke screamed, clearly not unscathed either, his clothes dyed red, blood seeping from his eyes. "DIE!"_

_Suddenly, two pairs of eyes changed._

_The two drew their fists back-_

_And Naruto hit Sasuke first, the man staggering to the cliff's edge. He waved his arms crazily, before stumbling as he reached the edge. _

_"You know...you're pretty good," Sasuke managed._

_Sasuke's eyes rolled back in his head, and he fell backwards, his body falling over the cliff._

_Naruto raised his head "Uchiha Sasuke is dead..." With a mighty use of chakra, Naruto caused part of the cliff to fall away, to fall onto Sasuke's body, "-and buried."_

* * *

Naruto shook his head, as if it'd rid him of the thoughts.

"Bastard," Naruto muttered to himself. "Don't torment me after your death." Naruto stood from his position, ignoring the stick he been using to aid walking.

After years of regeneration and accelerated healing...Naruto knew what it meant to be truly mortal. Maybe even lower, but he was no longer the god, the master of war, the man of infinite stamina and chakra.

He was even beginning to wonder if he was dying. The Kyuubi had needed everything it had to keep him alive after his battle with Kuroi, and it had got to the point where Naruto couldn't even feel the beast's presence.

Maybe the damage had been too much? Was his body only held together by his will? And in that case, how long did it have, how much more punishment could it take, before it collapsed?

Naruto shook his head again. This was only a passing thought, something else he was sure that would return to torment him. And besides- he'd make sure vengeance would be achieved before anything like that could occur.

The Rokudaime leaned by the window, watching people go about their business. And then he saw why war-weary warriors had so much trouble fitting in with the "normal life".

How could these people be so...content? Did they not know people died every minute? Could they not feel the winds of change, attempting to break them out of the monotony that the ninja world had fallen into, a structure that was dependent on war to survive.

Naruto had heard of such a phrase for this. War economy. It made sense. Ninja governments _needed_ wars to stay in power.

It was the century-long debate, whether having warriors merely invited war. It was true, but there would always be conflict, and if there were not warriors, there would not be people to stop those conflicts.

But Naruto had left the world of ninja behind. A path of vengeance was all he had left, he the shadow who stalked his prey.

And he could feel the time was arriving for him to leave. True, he was not at perfect condition, but if he waited too long, he'd lose the trail completely.

Naruto speedily packed away his belongings, finishing it off by putting on his cloak, strapping on his pack, and raising his hood.

The hunt was resumed.

* * *

Haganeiro bitterly pushed his way through the crowd. It was raining heavily, a slight fog was in the air, but none of this bothered the man. He was born in Kirigakure, after all.

"Fuckin' hell!" he grumbled to himself.

When he was young, he'd been renowned as one of the best shinobi in Kiri, which got him into the elite "club" known as the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Those were the days, when Haganeiro had everything he wanted, fighting, drink, money and women.

Those days came to an abrupt halt as he lost his status, and became a missing-nin, thanks to the Mizukage of the days.

Time went on, Haganeiro himself becoming a mercenary for hire. The problem was, the big paying villages had their own ninja, the little villages were afraid of angering Kiri, and the people that hired- gangs and crime syndicates- didn't pay.

And then, Haganeiro met the boss. Shinratsu. Shinratsu enlisted him immediately, into the Coloured Elites, where he like the others, discarded their names, and took their own signifying colour to become their name.

Once again, good days, until, just like last time, an abrupt halt.

It was supposed to be easy. Haganeiro had made his way through Konoha, as did the other elites, butchering every Konoha citizen he could find. And then he encountered a man who proved to be his undoing. Hatake Kakashi, the Copy-Nin.

Haganeiro was familiar with the name, but never met him. After all, it was the Copy-Nin, one of Konoha's greatest ninja, a large bounty on his head- but the main reason Haganeiro knew him was because of his status. He'd defeated both Zabuza and Kisame- Haganeiro's comrades from times at Kiri- and one of his students had defeated Raiga, another of his old comrades.

But under his training with the boss, Haganeiro was confident he'd beat the man.

Wrong. Despite his mastery with the sword and water jutsus, Haganeiro had discovered something both Zabuza and Kisame learned. Those tactics were useless against an accomplished wielder of the Sharingan.

Kakashi had beaten him into a pulp, even severing his left arm, but then, the Copy-Nin had had to urgently leave, to escape to the tower. Haganeiro later learned that it was Shinratsu who had killed the man.

As well as that, with the loss of two of his elite, and the handicap of a third during the Fall of Konoha, Shinratsu had hired some upstart- Subeta.

Not only did the little shit claim to be a "master of blades", Subeta clearly even had no respect for the colours or the boss, wearing shades of grey and not one definite colour-in fact, a colour that was already taken by Gurei-he didn't correctly wear the garments of office, and didn't discard his name.

The little arrogant shit disgusted him. Well, he, Haganeiro would show the little upstart. Not only would he kill Uzumaki, he'd achieve what Kuroi, the boss's resident boot licker, failed to do. He'd become the right hand of Shinratsu, and he'd take pleasure in aiding the boss change the world from the filth and decadence that was clogging it down.

"What's the matter with you?"

Great, it was Akai, fucking little order-adoring bastard. The ninja wasn't like Kuroi, but they both had the same obsession with rules and orders.

"Fuck off Akai."

Akai's eyes narrowed. "Mind your manners, cripple."

Cripple. The nickname Akai and Subeta had called him of late.

"One arm's all I need to take out someone like you."

"Be quiet. The commander gave me leadership of our team, and you'll follow my orders."

Haganeiro snarled at the man he saw as trying to order him around. "I follow the boss, not you."

"And the boss has ordered that you follow me," continued Akai. "Don't waste my time. We are hunting Uzumaki, not wasting time with your tragic past."

The handicapped man followed Akai, the former still grumbling curses. Uzumaki, the target. What the hell did Akai think, that Uzumaki would just magically appear?

"Where the hell are we supposed to be going anyway?"

"I have a contact here who has some information. He'll have found Uzumaki for us, we only have to hunt him down."

Haganeiro snorted. "Wow, the great Akai has found Uzumaki."

Akai didn't privilege the man with an answer, only continuing till the two stood in an empty alley. A man appeared in front of them, wearing standard ninja garb.

"Well, have you found him?"

"Yes. It seems he is intending to go through this town. Outside this town there is a thick forest. Uzumaki will be travelling slow and is unfamiliar with the area. It is the perfect place to ambush him."

Akai nodded. "Very good. How many more of you are there nearby?"

"Just I."

"Then the task will fall to us. You may go. The commander will reward you."

The man nodded, before disappearing.

"Got more orders for me, Captain Akai?" said Haganeiro, clearly mocking the man.

He was rewarded with a kunai pointed at his throat.

"I would kill you now had the commander not requested that we unite," hissed Akai, anger seeping into his tones. "Foolish man, do you think you are in a place to mock me? You are weak Haganeiro. You have lost your status as the sword expert to Subeta, and despite your "mastery" with one-handed seals, you're the weakest of the coloured- and I include those Uzumaki has killed. Without me, you have no hope of surviving against Uzumaki, let alone killing him."

Haganeiro hissed back, drawing the large blade on his back, using it to bat away Akai's kunai.

"Don't threaten me Akai."

"You can't order me, you fool. You're weak, Haganeiro."

* * *

Shinratsu closed his eyes, distracting himself from the purple-clad beauty in front of him.

"I'm busy, Fujiiro."

The woman pouted, her face visible as her mask lay on the ground and her hood was lowered. "I don't recall it bothering you before."

"Then Uzumaki wasn't a concern."

Fujiiro sighed, picking up her mask and reattaching it, as Subeta entered.

"Milord, the troops are ready to move," said Subeta, boredom clear in his voice.

"Has Kuroi or Akai sent any messages?"

"Nothing."

"I see. They knew we'd leave this area, they'll know how to find us. Very well," Shinratsu stood from his chair, snapping his fingers, and one of his ninja gathered the papers and charts he had been gazing over before Fujiiro arrived.

"Milord, about Uzumaki-"

"What is it now? What is your obsession with the man?"

"I merely wish to fight him," replied Subeta.

"Why him?" asked Shinratsu. "Why, when so many others have failed?"

Subeta smiled thinly. "Yes, milord. I'm well aware my sudden appointment to the coloured ranks has upset many. This is my chance to silence them."

"So, acknowledgement..." Shinratsu brought a hand to his chin, scratching the stubble. "Very well."

Subeta's eyes widened. It appeared he had not expected the commander to agree so soon.

"We all require acknowledgement, do we not?" said Shinratsu, turning away. "You may go, Subeta. Join Akai and Haganeiro. Inform him that one of the two may return if they wish."

A feral grin lit Subeta's face. "Gladly, milord." He raised his hands in an unusual salute, before leaving, his pace quickening, a new spring in his step.

"Was it the best idea to let him go? He is young, and-" Fujiiro silenced herself when Shinratsu raised a hand.

"The boy is more like his father than he realises. And for his sake when he finds Uzumaki, those similarities should include fighting skills," stated the commander.

Shinratsu made to call the troops, but stopped himself, calling Fujiiro a last time. "Fujiiro, do you think I am stronger than Uzumaki?"

"Of course, milord."

"Do you mean that because I am of higher authority, or because you truly believe I am stronger?"

Fujiiro was silent, slowly thinking over Shinratsu's words.

"Namikaze first, now Uzumaki." Shinratsu continued his trail of thoughts as he summoned the troops to give their orders.

* * *

Naruto stretched as he climbed to his feet, staggering slightly. He had been tired after travel, and fallen asleep in the forest. His eye blearily gazed at the world, checking his surroundings.

He missed his left eye.

Naruto had taken to sleeping in the wilderness, seeing as more people than ever were out for his blood. On his way here he had been attacked by three different teams, one of Iwa, whereas the other two were wanderers and mercenaries out to make names and money for themselves.

None had survived.

He glanced around his surroundings, freeing himself temporarily of his bloody memories.

Bird calls occasionally sounded, and Naruto took a few moments to admire the beauty of the woodland, the sunlight seeping through the canopy of leaves...and he remembered where he fit into all this.

Those tranquil thoughts were suddenly eradicated by a rush of hatred as Naruto remembered his dreams, seeing his dead friends, his fingers wrapping around the throats of imaginary friends.

And he repeated to himself his oath. "They will pay. I'll make them pay if it's the last thing I do." Naruto breathed in, his stomach rumbling angrily as he felt the pangs of hunger.

Hunger and sleep, two things that felt foreign to him on his path of vengeance. The two things had felt natural to him, but those were the days before his mind was reshaped into something new.

Naruto drew a knife, twirling it in his hand, before throwing it through the air, killing a bird that had perched on a branch.

He gathered his prize, using the knife to merely tear off the skin and feathers, cut off the head, and he began eating the thing raw, spitting out bones and other inedible parts. Once his hunger was satiated, he tossed the rest of it away for the scavenging animals, wiping the blood away from his mouth.

Before he came to the forest, he was informed by a local about a river that passed through it. If he found that, it'd mean he was halfway through.

He glanced around for signs from the local plants and animals, and after having found them, it was not long before he had reached the river.

That was good. He had found a way of quenching his thirst, and it meant he was still on their trail. Apparently, a few of them had been sighted in a town not too far from the forest.

He glanced at himself in the river, and although the image was blurry and distorted, Naruto got the general picture.

His blonde hair had dulled and the spikes were drooping, age lines were becoming mixed with the scars on his skin, his face seemed hardened and weathered, the look in his eye...

All this had changed in a matter of days, and he had not noticed?

Naruto fell to his knees, dipping his hands in the icy water, cupping his hands together, bringing the clear liquid to his lips.

He drank, in a way some might call greedily, but he merely wanted it to be a longer period before his body required water again.

His thirst quenched, he stood. The current was hardly fast, and the water was fairly shallow, meaning he could wade through it. After all, he didn't want to force the use of his chakra.

It was when Naruto reached the middle of the river, when he suddenly jumped to the side, avoiding a sword being flung through the air, which continued until it hit into a tree. A moment later, a figure appeared atop of it.

"Well...this is nostalgic," Naruto suddenly said, before laughing humourlessly. The sword, the wielder, the forest and water...and fog was beginning to creep into the area.

Naruto slowly drew his own sword, the same one he had stolen from the Iwa shinobi, the same one that had pierced the Tsuchikage's flesh and through Gurei's summon. It was considerably narrower then the zanbato the man stood on, but near the same in length.

"Interesting weapon, Rokudaime," said the man, turning around, allowing Naruto to get a better view of him, also allowing him to see that he was missing his left arm. But Naruto first noticed the steel-blue clothes that cloaked him head to toe.

"A very unusual choice. Rare in these lands, too," continued the man, jumping down from the tree, pulling out his zanbato with him.

Naruto remained steady. It took remarkable strength to carry a zanbato- and wield it- one handed.

"I am Haganeiro. But you'll know me as death." Haganeiro stabbed his zanbato into the ground, forming several one-handed seals.

And moments later, a gigantic water dragon rushed at Naruto.

Naruto's eye widened, but he went at it with his sword. The steel stopped the dragon for a moment, but the creature reared back and charged again, this time sending Naruto through the air, all the way out of the river and into a tree, his sword clattering to the ground next to him.

Naruto climbed to his feet, picking up his sword, holding it in his right hand, his single eye fixed on his enemy.

"Red with steel blue," he repeated to himself. "So, where is your friend? You hunt in pairs now, don't you?"

"I don't need Akai to beat you!" shouted Haganeiro, the man jumping towards the river, his zanbato attached to his back, balancing on the water with his chakra. "Come on, Rokudaime! Or do you not use any chakra at all?"

Naruto scowled. But he knew he had to even the odds as much as he could, and began forcing the chakra in his body to comply.

Eventually, he managed to gain some control over it, enough to walk on the water, and Naruto too landed on the water's surface.

He felt unsteady, the chakra still feeling foreign as he used it.

"Come on!" Haganeiro charged forwards, his hand swinging his sword back as he slashed at Naruto's midriff.

Naruto jumped over the sword, before swinging his own down. Haganeiro however, still managed to lift his own blade in time to parry.

The one-eyed man fell out of the air, landing in a crouch on the water. Haganeiro brought his zanbato down, and Naruto rolled to the side, avoiding a strike that would have cleaved him in two.

Haganeiro formed a shark-shaped missile of water, but Naruto dodged it, taking his time to analyse his opponent.

He's clearly a former Kiri-ninja, likely to even be one of the Seven Swordsmen, Naruto thought. But unlike Zabuza, he doesn't seem to be skilled with silent killing, explaining why he doesn't make mist. Nothing particularly special about him then, he's really just a weakened shinobi, considering the missing arm. I'd wager that puts down his sword skills quite a bit- explaining why Subeta said he was the blade specialist of the colours.

Naruto shot forwards across the water, his sword in one hand, his left hand drawing a knife.

The sword met another, but Naruto's key advantage was that Haganeiro didn't have two weapons to use. Naruto sliced at Haganeiro's side, and the man only jumped back at the last possible moment, landing some distance away.

The two fought on the water, Naruto this time taking the advantage, getting in several slashes.

Haganeiro angrily slashed through the air, attempting to decapitate the Rokudaime. Naruto ducked under the blow, slamming his foot into Haganeiro's chest.

The former Kiri-ninja landed on the water. He began to climb to his feet- only to see Naruto's sword pointed at his throat.

Fortunately, a knife flew through the air, causing Naruto to jump back and look for the new enemy.

It was Subeta, the man leaning against a tree as he watched the two.

"Subeta, fuck off!" roared Haganeiro. "I don't need you for this!"

Subeta raised his hands in his unusual salute. "I just had to save your life, the least you can do is thank me."

"Thank you!?"

"That's good, but next time, don't shout it out angrily," replied Subeta.

Haganeiro climbed to his feet, attaching his zanbato to his back as he began some more seals. It was clear he did not want Subeta's interference, as the next jutsu formed mist all over the water.

"Oh, that's mature, Haganeiro, really smart," said Subeta loudly.

"I don't need you! Fuck off!"

Subeta sighed. "No, I think I'll stay and watch you beg for help."

Haganeiro clearly intended to end the battle as he began an even more complicated jutsu, something Naruto recognised as he saw a gigantic wave of water rise up towards him.

The mist dispersed, Haganeiro having no more use for it. "See you in hell, Uzumaki!" shouted the man as he watched the wave hit Naruto head on.

Eventually, the waters subsided, and Naruto was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, that was quite impressive, Haganeiro," said Subeta.

"Stupid shit!" grinned Haganeiro. "With that, I'm the commander's right hand now, you little fucker! And seeing as I'm clearly the blade expert, I'll make sure you've no place in this army! You're fucked, Subeta!"

Subeta raised his eyebrows. "I doubt that. You've forgotten one thing. Confirm the body." Subeta strolled down alongside the river, until he was some distance ahead of Haganeiro. "After all, he might have escaped, fool." He called back without turning around.

"Escaped, what bullshit!" shouted Haganeiro, not noticing a figure rise out of the water slowly behind him. But he did notice when he felt a sharp steel go through his stomach.

Naruto leant forwards and whispered into his ear. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. But you'll know me as death," he hissed, mocking Haganeiro's earlier words.

Haganeiro gurgled his last, and Naruto removed his blade, kicking the man into the water.

But those sounds had been loud enough for Subeta to notice, the man now drawing his machete.

"This time, none of your throwing or disarming tricks," said Subeta, also balancing himself on the water, showing no concern for his fallen comrade.

Naruto sheathed his sword and kept to his knife.

The two shot forwards, blades clashing, neither of the two leaving any openings as they fought hard.

"I'm afraid there's a problem for you," said Naruto, sidestepping a stab, and slashing at Subeta's face. "I don't think you don't have what it takes to kill me."

"Oh really?" Subeta quickly caught Naruto's hand. "See you in hell!" he yelled, as he slashed at Naruto's neck.

He missed, but Naruto hadn't even attempted to move back.

"You don't have an understanding of range," continued Naruto, delivering a firm kick to Subeta's chin as he broke the young man's hold.

Subeta staggered back wildly, his empty hand cradling his chin.

"You see, you're so used to using a longer sword that you've forgotten that every blade you'll use won't have such a range," said Naruto. "It's not a mistake I've often seen, but you made it...boy."

Subeta snarled, but as he made to move forwards, a kunai flew between the two.

"Akai," said Subeta, turning to the forest line.

"Subeta. Why didn't you inform me that Haganeiro got himself killed?" said the red-clad ninja.

"I would have thought eliminating the enemy was-"

"You disobeyed orders!" barked Akai. "You know what the commander said, we hunt Uzumaki in teams!"

"So, what now?" said Subeta.

"We continue following orders!" said Akai. "Retreat."

"Wait...one moment," said Subeta, quickly shooting across the water, retrieving Haganeiro's sword.

Akai and Subeta left, just as Naruto crashed into the water, losing control of his chakra. He swam across the river, looking back a last time to see Haganeiro's body float by.

"See you in hell indeed," Naruto muttered, before heading through the rest of the forest.

It would seem that Akai and Subeta were going back to the commander to report, or other troops. And if Naruto was to follow them- he'd eventually find the source.

With that thought in mind, it didn't take long for Naruto to sprint after the two, mentally telling himself not to get too close that the two would notice.

His eyes lit up as he realised that revenge was getting ever closer.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I'm sure that the chapters are looking a bit repetitive, every chapter Naruto kills another of the colours.

That'll change next chapter, don't you worry.

So, no one got the question a couple of chapters ago, about what fighting style Naruto's one is based on. Another quiz. Who can guess what character Subeta is modelled on? A hint, he's based on a character from a game set during the Cold War.

All of these trivia questions will be answered in the last chapter author's notes, which is still a bit of a while.

Oh, and I hoped you enjoyed Sasuke's death scene. If you don't know why Naruto's eyes would have changed as well, I suggest you read the recent chapters in the manga.


	5. Him Again

Nothing in this author's note, look at the one at the end- after you've read the chapter of course.

* * *

Chapter IV- Him Again

"You disobeyed orders!" shouted Shinratsu angrily.

Subeta outstretched his hands lazily as he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't deny it."

Shinratsu backhanded the younger man across the face. "You left a comrade to die!"

Resentment was clear in Subeta's eyes as he raised a hand to where Shinratsu had struck him. "He requested so."

"What?" Shinratsu hissed through clenched teeth.

"He was already dead inside. The fool was killed by Hatake Kakashi, all that was left of him was his body. He was begging for death. And besides, I didn't even see it. I only turned back to see Na- Uzumaki remove his blade from the man's body."

Shinratsu kept eye contact with the young man as he continued.

"And what of Akai? The coward arrived long after Haganeiro died, and had the gall to blame me."

"I am blaming you as well."

"Then you're wrong as well."

Shinratsu responded by punching Subeta in the gut, the machete-wielder stumbling back.

"I gave you special permission to go!" shouted Shinratsu. "On the condition that Uzumaki would die! If you had not gone, Akai would have remained with Haganeiro! Then Uzumaki would be dead, and not Haganeiro!"

"That's coming from a man who hasn't even fought Uzumaki," snarled Subeta. "Whether Akai would have been with Haganeiro, it would have meant nothing! Haganeiro had been obsessed with killing Uzumaki alone! He was at the point where he couldn't recognise friend from foe!"

"Is that what you think?" said Shinratsu, the anger in his face gone.

"It's what I know," replied Subeta, his fury promptly vanishing as well.

"Very well. Go. Join Akai, bring back Kuroi and Anryoku. I have new plans, and you will be reassigned teams, due to your...failure."

"As you wish...milord," said Subeta, leaving.

The army had continued its work, despite Naruto's interference. Shinratsu's manipulations meant Iwa was already in his pocket.

Konoha, and Iwa. Suna were the next target. He'd heard rumours about the Kazekage stirring up an army for revenge for Konoha, the Godaime Kazekage being very close friends with the Rokudaime Hokage.

Kiri and Kumo- Kiri had been weak for years, with the loss of their most powerful ninja, something they had never recovered from. And he had had Haganeiro on his side long enough to know enough about Kiri's defence strategies.

What to do, what to do...Shinratsu closed his eyes, as he always did. Before they abruptly opened a moment later. "I'm going for a walk," he announced to Fujiiro. "Don't follow me. Don't tell anyone."

"S-Sir?"

Shinratsu disappeared out of the fortress, the temporary base they had been using. It was located in between the country that separated Earth and Wind, and close to the Wind border if they decided to strike soon- which they would, provided Uzumaki did not prove to be an even larger thorn in his side then he believed.

Shinratsu shook his head, walking through the forest, his feet barely leaving any prints on the grass he walked on.

He glanced around, enjoying the peaceful scenery. "Soon...all this will be for ninja..." he muttered absent-mindedly to himself.

He breathed in, allowing his thoughts to flow through his mind, and was suddenly possessed with a hatred.

"Damn you Namikaze! Will you and your son always torment me!?" he howled, the serene attitude suddenly lost.

* * *

Naruto tore through a Iwa-nin, before turning around to face the rest, his sword poised. The Iwa-nin had caught up with him, and thanks to them, he had lost the trail of Akai and Subeta ages ago.

He growled through his teeth, anger evident.

A man jumped at him, holding his blade above his head, intent on swinging it down. Naruto parried the blade, pushing it aside, before spinning around and beheading the hapless ninja.

Naruto snarled, and the Iwa-nin flinched, giving him enough time to dart forwards and impale another ninja.

"I hold no quarrel with you. Your Tsuchikage is dead merely because he was a coward and wanted to take my life instead of defending his nation. Flee, or the rest of you will meet his fate," said Naruto harshly.

The Iwa-ninja looked amongst each other. This man had killed their Tsuchikage without the use of chakra. What were their odds when he had already killed three in a matter of minutes, nay, seconds?

The ninja disappeared, and Naruto unnecessarily twirled his sword around, before he sheathed it.

He was in mountainous terrain, in a fairly large town. Obviously, he had not slain the men in broad daylight, but was in what appeared to be abandoned slums.

Naruto left the slums, heading towards population, in particular the nearest bar. Something he had inherited from Jiraiya and Tsunade.

He liked bars, pubs, the lot. The places had drink, cigars, information. All the things that he needed on his search for his targets.

"Where could they be?" he muttered to himself, as he entered the bar, immediately calling over for a drink.

Think, he told himself as he took a seat. Surely, you're not Reikon's only target.

So far, Shinratsu and his troops had only targeted Konoha and Iwa. Neither could harm him now, the former destroyed, the latter seemingly in his pocket. And then Naruto hit it, marvelling at his own stupidity at not realising it earlier.

Of course...Suna. Gaara.

He had forgotten all about Gaara and the Suna shinobi. Shinratsu had obviously not forgotten them, and Naruto had heard that Suna were gathering forces, but paid those words no heed, forgetting the numerous friends he had in Suna.

So, Gaara prepares to do battle...he thought. But when? When will he begin his strike?

* * *

Anryoku licked the branch. "Uzumaki passed here," he said, turning to face Akai.

Akai's face was of revulsion, yet it could not be seen under his mask. True, he was a skilled tracker, but he was a man who used more...traditional techniques. Anryoku wore dark green, the colour of the forests and jungles he belonged to. It was quite a surprise that such a man was skilled with genjutsu.

The green-clad ninja bounded from branch to branch, animal-like, and Akai followed after him.

Presently, the woods ended, leaving the two in mountains, a town in the near distance.

"Of course, he must be there," stated Akai. "Come, Anryoku."

Anryoku snarled. "We stay in the forests."

"Uzumaki won't head this way. He came through it, remember?"

"He only took detour," said Anryoku. "Do not doubt us."

"Why would he take a detour?" asked Akai, clearly mocking Anryoku.

"Information," Anryoku hissed through his teeth. "He hunts boss, we hunt him. He cannot find boss, so leaves forest to mountains. Mountains to town. Forest surround mountains. He finds information, goes to mountains, and to forest again."

"Don't be speak nonsense."

The bestial man laughed cruelly. "Red, you are very foolish. Who then is the man coming in the distance, one-eyed, mounted on beast?"

Akai turned, and sure enough, it was Naruto, who appeared to have acquired a horse.

"Come on then, find cover!" said Akai, refusing to admit himself being wrong. "Ambush tactics, remember, your first strike should be your last."

Akai and Anryoku went deeper into the forest, Akai resorting to his advanced stealth abilites to compensate for his easily-visible red clothes, while Anryoku easily blended into the background.

It took a few moments before the sound of a horse's hooves sounded, and apparently Naruto was travelling fast.

Akai signalled to his partner. '_No delaying the battle. Kill him quick and be done with it._' Anryoku signalled back, clearly disappointed, but agreeing.

Naruto slowed his steed down as he entered the forest, the path becoming narrow.

Anryoku removed his mask and hood, revealing dark brown hair and yellow eyes. "I will see you die.." he whispered, drawing a kunai.

He aimed, and in a few moments, was locked in on Naruto's neck.

A quick throw-

Suddenly the horse reared up, throwing Naruto away, distracting Anryoku and the kunai went into the horse's head, killing it.

"Fuck!" cursed Akai, seeing Anryoku's assassination attempt fail.

Anryoku wasted no time and cast a powerful genjutsu around Naruto, one that completely nullified the senses of sight and sound.

Naruto was in blackness, and Anryoku drew another kunai, charging forwards, but he ignored his promise to end the battle quickly, as he impaled the kunai into Naruto's side.

He disabled the sound nullifier. "I am Anryoku. And to you, Uzumaki, Son of Konoha...I will give you fear such as you've never experienced before!"

Fucking genjutsu, cursed Naruto, attempting to disable the genjutsu. He failed, just as Anryoku slashed his back.

Some powerful genjutsu, thought Naruto. I can feel the stabs- somehow his genjutsu changes the nerves, making the body unable to recognise pain. Clever bastard.

Naruto lurched around, trying to find his attacker, but Anryoku was skilled enough to create no sound.

"How does it feel to be attacked by something you cannot see?!" said Anryoku.

Akai watched from the sidelines. Despite the fact Anryoku was disobeying orders, this was entertaining, watching Uzumaki stumble around like a fool.

Anryoku then once again nullified the sound for Naruto, and impaled his kunai into Naruto's shoulder- only for Naruto to instantly draw his blade and slash him across the chest, breaking the genjutsu.

The green-clad man fell to the ground, and Akai's eyes widened, and he quickly hurled several shuriken at Naruto as he moved in.

"How did you break the genjutsu- are you some kind of monster?" Anryoku managed.

"You try to kill a man, then call _him_ monster?" said Naruto, quickly turning around to deflect Akai's shuriken.

Anryoku screeched, jumping at Naruto, using his hands to claw at Naruto, his teeth to bite. Naruto delivered a firm uppercut to Anryoku's chin, knocking the man onto his back.

The yellow-eyed man groaned, his eyes blinking blearily- as Naruto appeared over him.

Naruto impaled the long blade into Anryoku's chest, holding it there till he was sure the man had died. But instead of pulling out the sword, he turned around, drawing his knife as Akai came upon him.

A flame dragon rushed him, and Naruto vaulted over it, only for the muddy ground to suddenly spring to life, forming spikes which shot at Naruto.

Naruto twisted in mid-air, avoiding them, landing on the ground, only for another burst of flames head towards him.

So, he's pretty good with ninjutsu...obviously wants to avoid close combat, thought Naruto.

A wave of kunai flew towards him, and Naruto span out of the way, grabbing one in each hand, before throwing them back at Akai.

Akai easily dodged, his hands flicking through seals as he disappeared from view.

Naruto rotated, searching for his foe. Despite flashes of red, Akai was merely too elusive to be found.

Flames lit around him, leaving him in the centre of the ring of fire. The heat started growing, fires spreading to the trees. Naruto pulled down his hood, looking for an exit.

When he thought he found one, flames ran down from the sky, shooting from all around him, rising from the ground...

He howled as he was burned.

Akai laughed cruelly, the red figure in the flames. "It's over Uzumaki!"

But then he remembered many of his comrades had been killed when they believed Uzumaki to be dead.

He remembered it just as he saw a man in the flames.

Naruto stood his ground, his sword in its sheath, but his knife drawn. He had survived- again.

"Damnit Uzumaki!" shouted Akai. "What does it take to kill you!"

The heat was sweltering now, and Akai ripped away his mask and hood, revealing long hair, dark eyes, and a look of fury.

Naruto pointed the knife towards Akai. "Ready to join your comrades, Akai?"

"Go to hell!" roared Akai, fingers going through hand seals again, and instead of his flame jutsus, he formed a Raiton jutsu, one crackling through his entire body.

Naruto had seen a jutsu similar to this before. Sasuke's Chidori Nagashi.

Akai charged forwards, Naruto quickly drawing the sword in one hand. It was made of metal, obviously, but the grip was leather, which would act as an insulator.

He swung his sword through the air, it meeting Akai's kunai.

Akai darted back, charging electricity through the black steel of his kunai, before he lunged forwards.

Naruto shifted around him. For a moment, he saw the electricity fade, and he quickly lunged forwards, grabbing Akai by the shoulders, hurling him down to the ground-

Just as the electricity returned, and Naruto was blasted away, while Akai stood up from the ground where Naruto had thrown him.

"You see, Uzumaki? Not even your new little hand-to-hand tricks will work on me."

Naruto gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain that the electricity had inflicted on him.

Akai charged forwards, his kunai readied for another strike.

Naruto's eye watched the man. He had problems with depth perception since he lost his left eye, and he therefore had to be very careful if he wanted to avoid being injured- and of course, counter efficiently.

He sidestepped, and span around, his sword raised.

Akai saw the flash of steel before it sliced into his back.

In one last attempt, Akai exhaled flames, catching Naruto.

Akai died a few moments later, and Naruto quickly extinguished the fire, but it left a small burn on the left side of his face.

Naruto let Akai fall to the ground, just as a flaming branch fell in front of him. The forest fire had continued, meaning Naruto was now surrounded by flames.

He sprinted forwards, ignoring the flames, and he soon overcame them. But they were still approaching, licking at the trees.

Naruto paused a moment to catch his breath, before running forwards again. He'd have to be careful, the forest wasn't particularly large, as they were in mountainous terrain, but at the end, he knew it ended abruptly at a cliff-

And not for the first time in his life, Naruto found himself falling off a cliff.

He gazed at the oncoming ground, objects appearing larger every second. Naruto closed his eye, and he spread out his body.

Naruto attempted to perform the summoning jutsu- but it failed. He attempted to use the chakra of the Kyuubi- which too failed.

Third time lucky, Naruto thought. He attempted to use senjutsu, using natural energy- but this once again failed.

Naruto opened his eye, the ground still closer. He drew his sword, and dragged it down the cliff's side, attempting to create enough friction to slow to his fall down.

Probably going to have to get the sword resharpened, Naruto thought.

The ground was still coming even faster, and Naruto didn't think the sword would slow him down sufficiently.

He tried to relax, bending his knees...

* * *

Naruto hit the ground, his sword falling down beside him. He stayed steady for a moment, before collapsing. He'd almost bounced on the initial impact...

Strange, he didn't feel any pain, but that could be the result of the adrenaline.

He grabbed the sword, using it as a crutch, picking himself up again. He had cleared the forests, and a vast savannah lay in front of him, several rivers flowing through it, turning part of the land into marsh.

He was out of the Earth Country- and he could feel it. Something told him, Shinratsu had gone this way.

Naruto took a step forwards, his legs seemingly capable. He didn't know if they were injured- but he felt fine, and that was enough for him now.

He could see something in the distance, and he approached warily. The lands between Suna and Iwa were fairly small, but they were-

A fortress stood in the far distance, many, many miles away. Naruto could see well into the distance, and somehow- he knew. They were there.

Strength revived, his body reinvigorated, Naruto ran forwards.

He was finally so close to his goal, all the days of hard trekking through forests and mountains, eating raw meat to survive, desperate tracking of his prey, the life-or-death situations that only he could ever seem to get himself into-

They were to end.

And as he went on, he could see them. Faces, all faces from his past, flashing around him. Perhaps the fall had left him delirious, but their voices echoed in his head. He could never recall them saying these words, but whether they were some unknown spectres or his vivid imagination, he thought of them, and heard them.

Jiraiya. Tsunade. Kakashi. Sakura. Yamato. So many other people, ranging from fellow ninja to old man Ichiraku.

He smiled. "Don't worry, I'll carry out our vengeance," he said to himself.

Their words only changed, their faces becoming more sorrowful.

"_Naruto_," he heard them say. "_What will you do after the end_?"

After it all?

He didn't know. But- he didn't care. He waved away those distracting thoughts, anger and hate burning away any doubts or timidness. Naruto didn't need them anymore.

The fortress was not too far now. It itself was large, a main keep, with a particularly tall tower in its centre, numerous other towers on its corners. It was all very noticeable- as were a whole legion of troops.

Naruto pulled up his hood, going prone on the ground, to avoid being seen by any lookout.

All these guards...Naruto thought to himself. Do they know I'm here? After all, Akai and the other Colours must have reported back.

Deciding he'd have to find a way to sneak into the castle, seeing as he could not possibly take out Shinratsu, Kuroi, Subeta, Fujiiro the purple-clad elite, and the entire army on his own.

They had been dispersing, but it seemed that they had merely headed here, to ready the fortress for Shinratsu's arrival from Iwa.

And as Naruto watched, the troops suddenly adopted combat stances, each raising a projectile, all perfectly synchronised.

For good reason too, as there was suddenly a screech, and a second army appeared on the horizon. Naruto focused his eyes, and he could make out the mark of Suna.

He smiled. The perfect opportunity.

Shinratsu's army responded, firing their projectiles at incredible velocities and startling accuracy, but they were distracted now.

Naruto stood up, breaking into a run. Perfect, perfect!

"Stop right there."

Naruto froze, before turning around. "Don't you ever give up!?" he demanded of Subeta, who laughed and shook his head.

"Range, was it?" Subeta drew a machete- and a second. "This time, I have two blades. Should compensate...for range."

Naruto only had time to select his favourite knife as Subeta appeared in front of him, his machetes already readied to strike.

The knife met one machete, and as the second swung towards him, Naruto darted backwards, before jumping forwards, higher then Subeta, attempting to cut at his neck.

Subeta ducked under Naruto's knife, pivoting around to face Naruto again, who had now drawn his sword.

The two-metre long sword held one machete, the knife holding the other, and the two remained deadlocked.

"Having to move in for such close combat- it's exhilarating!" said Subeta, as the two broke away.

They attacked again, once again blocking each other, attempting to overcome their opponent through brute strength.

"Thank you. Thank you for teaching me the joy of the machete," grinned Subeta, delivering a kick to Naruto's side.

Naruto gave no indication that it hurt him as the two broke away. He slashed at Subeta's head, who merely ducked under it, stabbing forwards.

All it took was a sidestep, and Naruto had avoided the blades.

"It looks like we're at a standstill," said Subeta. "But, I-"

The ground was suddenly ripped from around them, as the jutsus used by the Sand-nin and Shinratsu's army cascaded around them. Naruto kept his hood raised, ensuring none of the dirt would blow into his eyes, while Subeta dodged the jutsus.

Naruto disappeared. It would take a while for Subeta to notice, and by that time, the Sand-nin would have surrounded the fortress.

He shot across the ground, forcing each foot in front of the other as fast as he could. He'd have to scale the wall-

Naruto forced chakra into his feet, pressuring control.

And it worked.

The chakra that remained dormant when he needed it as he fell down the cliff responded, and despite that the walls were particularly high, high enough that even a ninja wouldn't survive a fall, Naruto had reached the top in a matter of moments..

"Uzumaki!" Ninja burst into sight, hurtling towards Naruto at alarming speeds.

Naruto remained still, as Shinratsu's troops continued. They were now very close-

Naruto's hand shot towards his blade hilt-

And the ninja collapsed to the ground, blood spurting from their flesh. Naruto sheathed the blade.

He descended down a passage that led deeper into the fortress. Fortunately, it seemed all the ninja were busy with the invasion.

He allowed a smile to play over his lips. Just Shinratsu now. Shinratsu was alone, here.

Naruto was as giddy as a child over the thought of his revenge getting closer with every step he took. He could _smell_ Shinratsu now, he knew he was here somewhere.

The blonde suddenly ducked.

A knife flew through the air where his head had previously been, embedding itself in a wall behind him.

Naruto looked up to his attacker, but he already knew who it was before he saw him.

Kuroi.

"I will not fail the commander this time," Kuroi stated. "I will kill you."

"Die!" roared Naruto, drawing his sword and shooting forwards in a burst of speed. He slashed at Kuroi's midriff, but the black-clad man drew his favourite dagger, parrying the large blade.

"Let us fight as equals this time," Kuroi continued, as if Naruto hadn't interrupted.

Naruto considered it. It would, after all, make his revenge all the sweeter.

He dropped the sword, drawing his knife from his shoulder holster. Kuroi removed the mask and hood that covered his face, shocking Naruto with his appearance.

The man's skin was unnaturally pale and clammy. The eyes seemed hollow, the man's hair drooping limply.

"Uzumaki, son of Konoha...you shall not live past this day."

"Nay, Kuroi," replied Naruto. "That'll be you and your master."

Kuroi jumped forwards, lashing out with his dagger. Naruto made to parry- but Kuroi disappeared.

Instantly, Naruto span around. Kuroi had reappeared behind him, and Naruto's reflexes had saved him from death this time.

Naruto stabbed at Kuroi's throat, the man jumping to the side to avoid it, slashing at Naruto's unguarded shoulder.

Naruto's right arm quickly grabbed Kuroi's own dagger-wielding arm, before Naruto twisted, flipping Kuroi over himself, sending the black-clad shinobi into the floor.

Kuroi rolled the moment he hit the floor, quickly climbing to his feet. His hands began forming seals, and the world darkened around the two.

And Kuroi disappeared again.

Naruto remembered this jutsu. Kuroi had used it the first time they fought. That time, Naruto, after many pain-staking attempts, had broken out, seeing as Kuroi used the darkness to effectively conceal himself, striking from anywhere he could-

Naruto darted right, avoiding a dagger. He then lashed out with his own knife, parrying another.

Kuroi appeared in front of him, going for close-combat. His dagger cut through the air towards Naruto's abdomen, but Naruto moved just in time to only receive a shallow cut.

The one-eyed man responded by grabbing Kuroi and stabbing the dagger into his chest.

He grinned. Even Kuroi could not-

And Naruto was broken away from his thoughts as a deep cut was etched into his arm by Kuroi's dagger.

The two broke away, Kuroi disappearing.

Naruto froze.

A dagger had impaled into his back. He stumbled around, slashing behind him, but Kuroi was already gone.

He cursed as he tugged out the dagger. What the hell was he supposed to do now?

And as flames appeared all around him, it looked like he'd have to think quickly, as Kuroi appeared amidst the flames, carrying Naruto's sword.

He saw his face reflected in the steel.

A cold-blooded killer, hair dulling and drooping, an eye gone, the noticeable burn- but a superhuman determination in his features.

And he could see that the steel determination could be corroded by the darkness that surrounded him, as Kuroi approached.

* * *

Author's Notes:

So, once again, Naruto finds himself at Kuroi's mercy.

Good news though, I've actually finished writing this fic. All the chapters left are ready to be uploaded. Why not review and thus encourage me to upload a bit faster?

Speaking of reviews, can you people just review already? I understand, fine, you must be punishing me for not writing over the summer. But seriously, all these hits and alerts, and barely any reviews.

I need constructive criticism people. Otherwise I'll start writing crappily. See there, crappily isn't even a word. I mean, come on, two lines of constructive criticism isn't too hard. Or questions about the fic, because I've actually started replying to reviews. Hell, I sometimes even give out spoilers in replies.

And by the way, anonymous reviewing is enabled, so for all those to lazy to log in or make an account, feel free to just click that box and write a couple of lines.

 EDIT: I'm not holding my chapters hostage for reviews, I want useful reviews, just ones which I can respond to about the story. If you want a reply, it usually helps to chuck a question in somewhere. I'll really be releasing a new chapter once every week.


	6. Pure Willpower

Here you go. Pure Willpower, the only thing that's holding Naruto's wounded, tired body together now.

* * *

Chapter V- Pure Willpower

The flames followed Kuroi, the man pointing Naruto's sword at its owner.

"Farewell, son of Konoha."

The fires rose as Kuroi lifted his empty hand. The black-clad nin raised the sword,before slashing towards Naruto.

Like some unspoken command, the fires followed through with Kuroi's order.

There was no way Naruto could have possibly dodged. His chakra had forsaken him, he himself was weaker than what he had been. All he did was raise the hood on his cloak.

He screamed as the fires burned him, consuming him... The constant flames- he could not extinguish the fires.

And as the flames stopped, Kuroi impaled the blade through Naruto's chest.

Naruto collapsed to the ground. His vision had started to fade, he only aware of the terrible pain from the steel that had torn through his chest- he began to choke blood.

Kuroi didn't move, only letting the darkness and flames fade, as he continued watching. This time, he had no intention on making any slip-up.

"It is a shame," Kuroi suddenly said. "Had my master not ordered otherwise, you could have made a fine elite. A waste of skill."

Naruto stared hatefully at Kuroi. "You mindless little pawn. I bet you can't even take a shit without your master ordering you so."

In response, Kuroi drove the sword deeper through Naruto's chest, the blonde screaming as he did.

"All...what's left..." Naruto said to himself, coughing as he did so.

Kuroi stared at Naruto. "What did you say?"

"I need..." Naruto suddenly glowed.

Kuroi's eyes widened, and the man jumped back, as an explosion occurred where Naruto had been.

The smoke covered the area, slowly dissipating, Naruto clearly visible in the centre, his hands having pulled out the sword that had impaled through his chest.

"Kuroi... I'll see you in hell!"

Naruto charged forwards, Kuroi running to meet him.

"How?" asked Kuroi, bending back to avoid a slash at the neck. "How did you survive?"

"I'm not about to tell you!" Naruto stabbed at Kuroi's leg, the man jumping onto the sword, quickly running up, kicking Naruto in the back as he vaulted over.

Naruto swung the blade around, catching Kuroi as well.

Kuroi still was intrigued. "Can it be? Has your chakra returned to you?"

"Firstly, it never left me," replied Naruto. "Secondly, it took more than chakra to get me up again," he said, fighting as he spoke.

"Oh? Continue," said Kuroi, vaulting over Naruto, attempting to attack from the air. Naruto dodged.

"Willpower," said Naruto.

"Willpower?" repeated Kuroi. "Ah...yes, I see. That body of yours should be lying there dead. But you've forced it, from will- and chakra- to stand again."

Naruto parried Kuroi's dagger. "Correct," he said, pushing Kuroi back, giving himself enough space to counter attack.

Kuroi ducked under the attack. "But you will not last, Uzumaki. There is only so long before your body is no longer able to take this burden."

"By that time you'll be dead," said Naruto, swinging the sword a second time as Kuroi had dodged.

The two exchanged blows for a while, before putting some distance between each other.

"You're very lucky," Kuroi said, drawing a second dagger, and darting forwards.

"And? Luck is very important," replied Naruto, smashing his sword into Kuroi's first dagger, his hand gripping the arm that held Kuroi's second dagger.

"Skill itself doesn't always matter. The fact remains, that I'm going to kill you."

"Is that so?" challenged Kuroi whilst struggling to free his arm from Naruto's grip.

"Yes."

Naruto dropped his sword, grabbing Kuroi's second arm. He twisted around, so he had the man in a firm grip. He freed one of his hands.

"You haven't drawn a knife, and you've dropped your sword. Do you intend to snap my neck or choke me?" asked Kuroi.

"It looks like you've forgotten something."

Kuroi was suddenly aware of a blue light form behind him.

"Rasengan!"

The blue sphere smashed into Kuroi's back, taking the man straight across the room. He stopped- once he had crashed through the wall.

Naruto looked at where he had sent Kuroi through, a small grin on his face. His hand was burning after the use of chakra, but he shook it off.

"Probably wasn't such a great idea to use a high-level jutsu right after-what!?" Naruto stopped talking to himself, as he saw Kuroi climb out of the rubble.

"You're..." Kuroi managed. "You're not the only one who survives mortal wounds."

"Appears so," said Naruto, glancing at the wound in his chest. The fact his chakra felt easier to use was possibly a hint that his regeneration abilities were working again, but it still was nowhere as powerful as it had been. Although he wouldn't die of it in minutes as most men would, he probably had a bit longer before he'd die of blood loss.

He wasn't sure if his lung was pierced, but either way, he knew he had to end this fight quickly, and find a place to patch up his wound.

Kuroi walked towards him, raising the daggers that shone red in the light.

Naruto grabbed his sword off the ground, only to sheath it. He drew two knives, twirling each one, before slipping into a stance.

The black-clad ninja shot forwards, his daggers clashing with Naruto's knives.

Naruto stood his ground, shoving Kuroi back. Kuroi staggered back, before attacking again, his daggers arcing towards Naruto's head.

The one-eyed man ducked under the daggers, but still a single strand of blonde hair fell to the ground. He lunged forwards, butting Kuroi in the stomach with his head.

Kuroi fell to the ground, Naruto on top of him.

The two had dropped their weapons, grappling.

Naruto's hands wrapped around Kuroi's throat, and Kuroi's hands found Naruto's neck. The two began throttling each other, challenging the opponent into trying to escape.

Kuroi let his hand go from Naruto's neck to the wound in the blonde's chest, clawing at the wound, his hand beginning to tear the flesh.

Naruto howled and punched Kuroi firmly in the face, but Kuroi did not yield. Naruto continued his pummelling of Kuroi's head, and eventually Kuroi flung Naruto aside.

The two stood, rushing each other, attempting to wrestle the other into a headlock.

Naruto brought his elbow into Kuroi's chin as in Kuroi's fist went into his gut.

Both staggered back, and Naruto grabbed a knife.

Kuroi waved his hands in a strange gesture, black smoke appearing around his hands, and a flail appeared in his hands, one with a particularly long chain.

The Rokudaime smiled at his newfound advantage. Something as unwieldy like that weapon- Kuroi didn't stand a chance of wielding the flail effectively inside.

"I suppose you think I won't be able to use this very well without space," said Kuroi. "But I've always thought- you can make space."

Kurai suddenly appeared in front of him, and Naruto felt something blunt smash into him, sending him vertically- through the ceiling.

The blood loss, the pain, the impact of heavy stone on his head...Naruto could not hold back the pain any more, and abruptly passed out.

* * *

It wasn't long before Naruto awoke. Kuroi stood in front of him, with his back to the Rokudaime, staring over the battlements at the fighting shinobi.

"You...why didn't you kill me?" said Naruto.

"Do you see them, Uzumaki? Our army is starting to lose. This is...your fault. The Suna-nin know you are here and fight all the harder. And with the loss of our strongest elites, our ninja are beginning to be defeated."

Kuroi turned to face Naruto, making eye contact.

"As long as you live, our commander's dream will not be realised. With your death, the Sand shinobi will be defeated, and three of the great ninja countries will be under the commander's control."

"Then why didn't you kill me when I was unconscious?" asked Naruto, slowly climbing to his feet.

Kuroi raised his flail. "Because...son of Konoha....you have hurt the commander. And for that...I wanted you...to feel...PAIN!"

Kuroi swung the flail at Naruto, who ducked under the swipe. Kuroi swung it back, and Naruto once again ducked.

The black-clad shinobi began taking lower swipes, before vertical ones, all at alarming speed.

Naruto was still tired, but being unconscious had given him one positive. It had been enough time for his regeneration to stop the bleeding and heal most the internal damage, so despite their was a hole through his chest, it was no longer the life-threatening wound it had been.

He suddenly had an idea, and after rolling out of the way after another attack, he drew a knife. Naruto shot up, impaling one of the chain's links with the knife. Using it for grip, he tugged forwards, pulling Kuroi forwards as well.

Naruto quickly tugged the knife out of the chain's link, and stabbed it into Kuroi's arm.

Kuroi dropped the flail, and hissed in pain. He kicked out viciously, sending Naruto- and part of the flail along with him- into the top of a tower.

The tower crumbled, leaving Naruto in a pile of rubble on the battlements. His foot was wedged in between the debris, and he couldn't pull free-

Kuroi attempted to pull the flail out, but the spiked ball had gotten stuck in a large chunk of debris. Irritably, he dropped the flail, letting the chains pool at his feet, drawing his last dagger.

"It's over, Uzumaki."

Naruto attempted to pull free, but was still stuck. If he had more time, he'd be able to, but it seemed that this was it. The end.

His eyes stared at Kuroi, the chains of the flail dragging at the man's feet-

An idea popped into Naruto's head. With the last remnants of his strength, he pushed back against the boulder that the flail had gotten stuck in.

And as it fell over the walls, Naruto turned back to Kuroi with a grin. "Goodbye, asshole."

Kuroi looked down at his feet, as he suddenly was pulled forwards, dropping his dagger in the process. He cried out, clawing desperately at the ground, before he was pulled over the edge, screaming all the way down.

Naruto sighed in relief. After some more minutes, he managed to dig his foot out of the rubble. He glanced over the battlements, and saw the hole Kuroi had sent him through previously.

He descended through the hole, heading back into the fortress.

During Konoha's Fall, he'd killed Buraun the Brown and Ieroo the Yellow. Then he'd begun his quest to hunt down the others. Aoira the Blue. Gurei the Grey. Haganeiro the Steel-Blue. Anryoku the Dark Green. Akai the Red. Now Kurai the Black.

Subeta was none of his concern. By this time, he'd be busy fighting the Suna shinobi.

Now just Shinratsu, and apparently his bodyguard, Fujiiro the Purple, his sealing expert. The question was, where were they?

Naruto left the room that he had initially fought Kuroi in, the room wrecked from their fighting and Kuroi's flames.

He glanced at the passage he now stood in. There was no windows, but many doors. A sound of footsteps, and Naruto ducked back into the room, as several shinobi ran by.

They bumped into another group.

"The boss says we're to reinforce the troops," said one of the shinobi from the first group. "Lord Subeta is aiding the troops fighting the Suna-nin."

The second group nodded and followed the first group. Naruto waited a while, listening to their footprints fade, before stepping out of the room.

Could they have made it easier? If he just went where the first group of ninja had come from, it would end up leading him to Shinratsu.

Naruto ran down the passage, eventually going through an open door at the end of it. It was a staircase, leading upwards.

The Rokudaime was surprised for a few moments, before realising. This probably lead to the tower he had seen in the centre of the fortress. So, that was where he would find Shinratsu.

He followed the staircase- the staircase beginning to spiral, and now Naruto had no doubt that this was the tower.

For a few moments, he blanked out the sounds of fighting between the ninja outside, trying to concentrate on his upcoming battle with Shinratsu.

But the fighting was loud, and Naruto covered his ears, trying to blot it out- when he realised this wasn't the sound of the Suna shinobi fighting Shinratsu's men. His ears were hearing the sounds of Konoha fighting Shinratsu and his army.

He lowered his head as he continued ascending the stone steps. And eventually, all the sounds changed back to what he had heard before:

_"Naruto...what will you do after the end?"_

Naruto stopped. Tears fell down his face, until he was crying. He hadn't cried since he was a child, but he cried again in his moment of weakness. His shinobi, his people- no, his family, all brutally slaughtered. Konoha, the beautiful lands ravaged and burned, the only thing left of it rubble and wreckage, and a Memorial Stone. And the fact that he'd never see them again finally stuck in his mind, and he cried.

And suddenly, the sorrow changed to anger. He saw -and heard- Konoha die again, but this time saw things down to Shinratsu's hate and cruelty, his soldier's brutality.

With anger renewed, Naruto was able to drag himself off his feet, and continued up the staircase, eventually coming to a door.

He exhaled in relief, and pushed the door open with one hand, the other quickly drawing his sword- seeing as he had lost all his knives. He glanced around the room, shocked by what he found.

Naruto had guessed that the previous owners of the fortress had fled long ago, considering that he had found nothing but empty rooms before, not even chairs or tables.

So it surprised him when he saw numerous paintings on the walls.

Naruto lowered his sword, eyes flitting from one painting to another.

He frowned. Some of the paintings looked somewhat...familiar.

He looked at all of them. They all seemed to be set in Konoha. To his surprise, a blonde boy was seen in most of them, but when he noticed that the blonde didn't have the whiskers that he had – which he had now shaved off- he guessed it was the Yondaime, Namikaze Minato.

Jiraiya was also in several, as were numerous other ninja.

Naruto suddenly leant against his sword,

There was a particularly large painting at the end of the room, which Naruto examined. It featured a whole crowd of ninja, all in Konoha, considering the Hokage Mountain was in the background- only with the heads of the first three Hokages- and he could see a dark-haired boy at the centre, looking competitively at the Yondaime.

Naruto frowned again. He knew that boy from somewhere...

* * *

"I was quite handsome back then, wasn't I?"

"Reikon." Naruto didn't turn around. "That's you?"

Shinratsu laughed, striding forwards. "I always did fancy my abilities as an artist. Oh, memories, sweet memories...it's been quite a while since I stood with someone and looked at my old works."

"You were a Konoha shinobi?" Naruto's voice was deathly quiet as he turned to face Shinratsu.

"A long time ago," said Shinratsu, turning away, heading up some more stairs.

Naruto swiftly followed, and found himself at the very top of the tower, the sky open above his heads. For some reason, there were a few pillars set into the ground. Perhaps there had been some roof or cover to protect those up on the tower from the elements.

"Oh, Konoha..." said Shinratsu. "Destroying you was the highlight of my life."

Naruto growled. "Why?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said Shinratsu, still staring out into the sky.

"Talk!" Naruto was beyond the point of calmness now. Before he killed Shinratsu, he had to know why...

"Revenge."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock as he heard Shinratsu state the word, the word that represented why he too had begin hunting down Shinratsu's men.

"Wh-What?"

"You've felt it as well, haven't you?" Shinratsu said. "Revenge. All my hates, fears...they all left me when I razed Konoha to the ground. Until I discovered you being alive."

"The war is over, Uzumaki. My army is defeated now. Thanks to you. If the other Colours still lived, Suna would merely be another stone to be stepped over. My dream was about to realised. You would not have been worthy of witnessing such a glorious moment. My dream...I intended to rule the Elemental Countries under the name and flag of Reikon Shinratsu!"

"You can't deny it, Uzumaki. The ninja world has sunk into a filthy realm of stupidity, hypocrisy. I would be the man to remove it from the fools and decadence clogging it down. How long, Uzumaki? How long did you think the ninja could survive in this world? Might makes right. And how long would it take before the weak, the chakra-less citizens began rebelling against our rule? I chose this hard option when I was a child."

"I saw it then...Naruto. The world of fools that ninja must have been saved from. As a child I could realise this. Their were three candidates for the task of Yondaime Hokage, Orochimaru, myself, and my rival- Namikaze Minato. Despite the fact I was not chosen for the post, it did not stop me. I continued my work, only to stop when I realised it wouldn't happen."

"Konoha, the village that had long never acknowledged me nor my hard work. A village that had long represented the source of so much pain for me, so many bad experiences and failures? Their harsh words, when I only served it as the most loyal of ninja?"

"And when the Kyuubi attacked, Naruto. This was my chance. I faked my death, and watched -and cheered- Minato's death. I celebrated that the stupid fool was dead, a man who despite being my equal in intellect and strength, could not see what I saw. I remained in the very bowels of society, looking for ninja who had seen this as well, or those who had been stamped on by this sunken ninja world. I trained them all, and I picked the strongest as my elite, the Colours. This was all my plan, and we would become the sons of a new world, where ninja could be respected, where the mistakes of our forefathers would be no more, and none of us could be controlled by this."

"All you wanted was power, Reikon," said Naruto. "Don't give me your bullshit."

Shinratsu laughed as he faced Naruto. "Didn't you notice, Naruto? You spent a good deal of time training to be a Kage. Every year, the Daimyo of each land places more restrictions on their ninja. They include more and more terms, more clauses, more enforcements. More people become soldiers, and more become samurai, but ninja numbers decrease. The daimyos plot on how to control their ninja all the more. They see our chakra, and our jutsus, but they do not see weapons, they are afraid! Afraid of what they cannot control!"

"And I wanted to free us from the daimyos, the fools in the ninja world, the fools who sought world domination for the sole reason of power, from any attempt to take control of us, the ninja! We are the true rulers of the world, Naruto!"

"But I've failed in that. Thanks to you."

Naruto was silent. He knew Shinratsu would attack him, at any moment now...

"But then again, I'll have one last chance. One last chance, if I can end your life. The two of us...we have our own grudges. You are the son of the man I hated. I am the man who destroyed your village, your family. Ready yourself, son of Namikaze."

Naruto watched Shinratsu for a while, before he threw away his sword, letting it fall near the staircase that led down to where Shinratsu had stored his paintings.

"Good..." Shinratsu readied a stance, and so did Naruto. This was it.

"Now, let's see why you were made Hokage, Naruto!"

Naruto darted forwards, bringing his left foot towards Shinratsu's chest, the man blocking it with his right arm, punching forwards with his left arm.

Using his left foot, Naruto used Shinratsu's arm as a way to push back out of the reach of the fist. He jumped forwards again, punching forwards at the commander's torso.

Shinratsu grabbed the arm and swung him into one of the pillars, before backing away, still in his stance.

Naruto punched at Shinratsu's head, the man ducking under it, just as Naruto brought his foot up to kick at his head. Shinratsu caught the foot and slammed Naruto to the ground, letting Naruto roll away.

This time, Shinratsu attacked, punching at Naruto's chest. Naruto caught the arm, using it to get behind the commander, but the man simply attacked with his elbow, breaking Naruto's grip, before he kicked Naruto firmly in the stomach.

Naruto stumbled away, but lunged forwards. Shinratsu dodged out of the way of Naruto's arm, before punching twice at Naruto's exposed midriff. Naruto choked, and Shinratsu quickly made to jab at his neck, but the Rokudaime managed to step back, before he slammed his fist into Shinratsu's chin.

The two backed away again, but as this time, they were much more brutal.

For many moments they fought each other to standstills, merely swinging at each other regardless of pain or consequences. They suddenly broke away, only for the two to attempt to attack each other again.

The commander punched several times at the blonde's abdomen, Naruto moving quickly to block them, and Shinratsu quickly kicked viciously at Naruto's shin. Naruto staggered back, but quickly recovered to bring his knee into Shinratsu's gut.

Shinratsu grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulder, swinging his elbow into Naruto's face. Naruto broke out of Shinratsu's grip, hitting Shinratsu with a uppercut before kicking him back.

Naruto darted forwards, roundhouse kicking the commander before aiming his second kick at the man's jaw.

The commander caught the foot, using it to slam Naruto to the ground, before he attacked. He punched Naruto firmly in the face, and Naruto's hands shot up, throttling Shinratsu. Shinratsu continued punching Naruto in the face, also punching his throat and chin.

Naruto continued strangling Shinratsu, ignoring the pain of the impacts of Shinratsu's fist.

Eventually, Shinratsu forced himself to break away, his hands massaging his neck as he gasped for air.

Naruto slowly climbed to his feet, his hand rubbing his chin.

The two roared in anger, before lunging forwards, once again barraging the other with their fists and feet.

Eventually they were grappling, before they managed to break free, their fighting becoming sluggish, becoming fast, until they were nearly in sync.

The two collapsed against each other, gasping for air, and then they suddenly punched each other, both falling away.

"Reikon!"

"Naruto!"

Naruto stood as did Shinratsu. Naruto's eye met Shinratsu's. Naruto suddenly tossed away his cloak, and Shinratsu tugged off his heavy armour, both opting for free mobility. Both men, weary with battle, their bodies held together with willpower.

This was it.

The final battle.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Sorry about the whole cliche little showdown, but hey, the entire story pretty much called for it.

Some of you may wonder where the last couple of Colours have gone, Subeta and Fujiiro. Well, remember someone needs to be helping the troops fight against Suna.

Oh yeah, some people have wondered about the whole "kill them one by one" philosophy Naruto has been following. If you think about it, it does make sense. This way, he knows the rest are going to stay together, they still have their leader. And besides, I've realised this story sounds like the plot for some hack-and-slash game.

Tragic past, check. Antihero, check. Completely outnumbered, check. Gets more powerful weapon over the course of the story, check. Defeats foes one by one, check. Final showdown, check. Short, memorable title, not check.

Maybe when I've completed the story, I'll just rename it for the sake of it. And speaking of completing, this fic has only one chapter left. I'll release it sometime next week, Wednesday sound good?


	7. Fight to the Death

Here it is, the final chapter. Early then I wanted to upload it, but the readers have convinced me otherwise.

Oh sorry, did I say readers? I meant, reviewers. That's a hint. This is actually the first proper fic I've ever completed, so I want plenty of feedback for the ending.

By the way, there are several...twists. Some of them are actually disguised, and some use other twists to hide themselves.

Well, here we go.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter VI- Fight to the Death

Shinratsu was the first to attack, punching the blonde in the face several times. Naruto ducked under the last one, before headbutting Shinratsu in the stomach, knocking him to the ground.

As Shinratsu lay on the ground, Naruto slammed his fist into Shinratsu's stomach.

Naruto backed away, letting Shinratsu stand. Shinratsu charged forwards, his fist drawn back, ready to strike-

The Rokudaime caught the fist, before letting his other hand grab hold of Shinratsu's arm, before throwing him to the ground.

Naruto climbed atop Shinratsu, strangling him, Shinratsu gripping hold of Naruto's arms in an attempt to stop him, and Naruto suddenly grabbed Shinratsu's head in his left hand.

He smashed his right hand into Shinratsu's face.

Shinratsu managed to toss Naruto off him, both climbing to their feet. "Very good, Naruto."

The commander attacked, slamming Naruto to the ground, before stomping on his right hand.

"Die!" Shinratsu shouted, raising his fist to punch Naruto in the chest.

Naruto rolled away, as Shinratsu slammed his fist into the stone, actually leaving an imprint in the stone.

The blonde stood as Shinratsu rubbed his hand slightly.

Naruto charged forwards, swiftly punching Shinratsu twice in the chest, before kicking him backwards.

Shinratsu hurtled backwards, smashing into one of the pillars. His eyes widened, and he ducked- just as Naruto slammed his fist into where Shinratsu's head had been moments ago.

The commander darted around Naruto, and grabbed him by the waist. Shinratsu fell backwards, slamming Naruto into the stone in a suplex.

Naruto groaned in pain, but managed to roll away and climb to his feet.

He counter-attacked swiftly, grabbing Shinratsu, and slamming his elbow into the back of the commander's head several times, before shoving him away.

"Naruto..." Shinratsu drawled, stumbling forwards. "Die!"

He lunged forwards-

Only to be sent flying backwards as Naruto punched him firmly in the nose, nearly breaking it.

Shinratsu climbed to his feet, slow. He glared at Naruto, before he suddenly began channelling chakra.

He's generating a huge amount of chakra, thought Naruto. Damn, I have to-

The chakra exploded, the explosion generating a shock wave that shook the tower to its core.

Shinratsu breathed heavily from the use of a great deal of chakra. He straightened- and Naruto appeared out of the sky, falling onto him.

The two hit the ground, wrestling viciously.

They rolled constantly in an attempt to get on top for the advantage, but as they rolled-

Naruto suddenly noticed his head was now dangling over the tower's edge.

Shinratsu's hand shot forward, intent on breaking the Rokudaime's neck.

And by using his legs, he sent Shinratsu flying over the edge.

"Naruto!" the man howled, and eventually the sound was drowned out.

* * *

The Rokudaime stood, his legs wobbling. A smile broke out on his face. He'd done it, he'd-

A shuriken suddenly was impaled in his back, and he gasped, quickly turning around, his left hand tugging out the shuriken.

Shinratsu was there, clinging onto the edge. He suddenly shot up, and was on the top of the tower.

"You won't kill me that easily!"

Naruto hurled the shuriken at him, but Shinratsu sidestepped, letting the shuriken fly harmlessly into the air.

Shinratsu slowly began forming handseals, and Naruto tensed. Did the man really have another ace up his sleeve, or was this his bluff?

And suddenly, chakra formed in Shinratsu's hand. Naruto continued watching it. The jutsu, whatever it was, seemed similar to the Rasengan or Chidori, but then again-

"Hundreds of people attempted to make chakra attacks like this, Naruto," Shinratsu said. "This is the one I developed in response to Namikaze's Rasengan."

The chakra formed ethereal claws on his hand, and Shinratsu looked up. "Take this!" He shouted, sprinting forwards, blue chakra streaming behind him in his wake.

Naruto began focusing chakra as quickly as he could into his hand. It began to burn slightly, beginning to look raw as bits of skin peeled off, but-

He formed his Rasengan and raised his hand to meet the commander's jutsu.

The two jutsus mashed against each other, both men unwilling to give up, to lose...

The jutsus dissipated under the pressure, letting their hands crash together. They stepped back, only to try kicking the other, but they blocked each other.

Shinratsu suddenly laughed. "It's funny, Naruto. Our struggle even goes beyond chakra."

"Appears so," said Naruto.

Shinratsu grabbed the blonde by the front of his shirt, before hurling him over his shoulder, kicking Naruto as he flew over him to provide more power.

Naruto crashed onto the ground, before rolling to the side as Shinratsu slammed his feet into the ground where Naruto had just been.

For what must have been the tenth time that day, Naruto climbed to his feet. He really had to end this. Although it seemed Shinratsu had been exhausted for some reason before the match, he'd had to kill Akai and Anryoku, fallen down a cliff, fought Subeta, climbed a fortress and fought Kuroi- but then again, that was just a day's work for Uzumaki Naruto, he supposed.

Shinratsu approached Naruto slowly- before jumping forwards, fist clenched- only for Naruto to punch him in the face, sending him crashing onto the ground, the man looking dazed.

Naruto dragged him off his feet, until he was next to a pillar. Naruto banged the man's head into the pillar, before starting to choke him.

The commander struggled, but Naruto held fast, before he suddenly dragged Shinratsu forwards- only to punch him that his head would go into the pillar again.

Shinratsu stumbled away, and Naruto delivered his fist into his torso three more times, before kicking him off balance, sending him to fall onto the ground.

Groggily, Shinratsu got back onto his feet, wiping his chin. His eyes rolled, and he slowly gazed at Naruto's face.

"Splendid, Namikaze," he said, raising his hands.

The two charged each other, both smashing their fists into the other's face at the same time.

Naruto recovered first, grabbing Shinratsu's arm, but the man swiftly countered, breaking out of the hold and grabbing Naruto's arm. Naruto swung his elbow into Shinratsu's head, breaking out of the commander's grip.

The Rokudaime pulled Shinratsu down by his shoulders, bringing his knee into his gut. Shinratsu gasped, but thrust his head forwards into Naruto's chest, knocking him down.

Naruto rolled to avoid a vicious stomp by Shinratsu. He rose to a crouching posture, shooting forwards at Shinratsu, dragging the man to the ground.

Shinratsu kicked him away, as they both stumbled to their feet, they lunged forwards again, punching the other in the face.

They remained frozen in their positions for a few moments, before slowly backing away.

And they collapsed to their feet, overcome with fatigue and pain.

Naruto panted as he lay on the ground, his chest heaving. From what he could see of Shinratsu, the man was in similar condition.

He slowly clenched his fists, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet. Shinratsu soon made it onto his feet.

"Reikon!"

"Namikaze!"

"It's not over yet!" Both cried out, approaching the other, dragging their bodies like lead.

* * *

Shinratsu suddenly laughed. "Namikaze...we're matched in skill. But... as you've said, luck's very important."

He reached into his pockets, drawing two knives. "One's...got the blade on a spring." He stabbed a knife into the pillar, and the blade sank into its own hilt. "The other...isn't."

Shinratsu carefully switched the knives several times around behind his back, before holding them out for Naruto. "Take your pick, Namikaze."

Naruto eyed the knives. They were absolutely identical in appearance. He'd have to trust to luck. He grabbed one, and Shinratsu took the other.

The two jumped at each other, impaling their knives into the other's chest.

Shinratsu gurgled- in laughter, as he felt the blade that was pressed at his chest sink into its hilt.

Naruto stumbled back, the knife stuck in his chest. His vision showed him Shinratsu laughing, as he fell to a knee, the pain and damage taking their toll.

Shinratsu clearly continued laughing, and anger suddenly consumed Naruto. He jumped forwards, delivering a brutal uppercut to the commander's chin, sending Shinratsu onto his back on the floor.

The Rokudaime tugged the knife out of his chest, before ramming it into Shinratsu's torso.

And that was it. Naruto collapsed next to Shinratsu, the blonde lying on his front, turning his face so he could watch Shinratsu die.

"It doesn't matter," Shinratsu suddenly said, his chest heaving desperately. "I won our little game Namikaze. I finally beat you, didn't I? Fun...wasn't it?"

Naruto continued breathing, his breaths becoming as unstable as Shinratsu's.

Shinratsu's eyes suddenly flashed, as another jolt of pain shot through his body. "No...not Namikaze...Naruto. But...that'd be your real name, wouldn't it?"

Shinratsu started coughing heavily, before stopping himself forcibly. "We're the same, and different, Naruto. We've both destroyed ourselves for revenge...and yet, we've managed to do some good. We've both had goals to change the world, but failed."

"You, the man who had dark goals, but good intentions. I had good goals...but chose a dark path to walk. But strange...did you know, in terms of heroes and villains, I therefore would have been the hero, and you the villain."

"Life's not all that black and white," Naruto managed.

"...correct. But...something tells me...your warning, Naruto. Let us speak as equals, for this warning. The ninja are going to be usurped. It's up to you whether the world of ninja will survive."

"I've...carried out my own mission..." Naruto said through gasping breaths. "I-"

"But you'll get involved," said Shinratsu, his eyes moving from Naruto to the sky. "It's your way. You'll get dragged into something again, and again. But the ninja world...still needs people like us. Idealistic, powerful, but willing to do something to ensure that the world won't grind to a standstill. Like sharks. If we ever stop moving forwards, we'll die."

The sky began to darken above the two as day became dusk, clouds gathering over an orange sun, drops of rain falling slowly, then faster.

"Rain," Shinratsu said. "I don't know why, but this is...nostalgic." He looked back at Naruto, a smile stretched over his lips. "If there's an afterlife, I haven't done well for myself. But..I'm going to still keep training with Minato."

Naruto suddenly pushed himself to his knees, his strength slowly reappearing. Shinratsu gave an approving nod, as if he knew full well that Naruto would live here, and that he would die.

"Our peaceful moment," said Shinratsu. "Nice, isn't it?"

A few seconds passed by, and the light died in Shinratsu's eyes.

Naruto stood as the sounds of fighting came to an end, the Suna-shinobi swarming the fortress, the rest of Shinratsu's army fleeing. There was a clatter behind him, and Naruto looked back to see familiar faces, Gaara, his siblings Temari and Kankuro, and his apprentice Matsuri.

The Rokudaime Hokage raised his hand in a salute. A moment later, he passed out.

* * *

Naruto sat in front of the Memorial Stone. An empty instant ramen cup was in front of him- he'd found one, and for old time's sake had devoured it- and a lit cigar was held in his left hand.

Gaara and his entourage had gladly retrieved his cloak and sword, and Naruto still wore both. He raised the cigar to his lips, puffing on it a last time, before tossing it away.

He slowly approached the stone, looking at the many names on it. A sudden wave of curiosity passed him, as he remembered something Shinratsu had said.

Naruto's eye found where the ninja who had been killed in the Kyuubi attack had their names engraved. And there it was. _Reikon Shinratsu._

"His name's on the stone...and to think that thanks to him, many others are."

Naruto took a few steps back, his eye still fixed on the stone.

"I said...I can't die yet...until they join my brethren," Naruto said. "I know...what I have to do, now that it's ended."

A flash of the past came to him.

_"Damn it!" He screamed, slumping against a wall. "Damn it!" His mind, still not thinking straight remained shut, as he crawled towards Sakura's prone body, his hand finding her kunai and bringing it to his throat-_

"_No!" Naruto threw the kunai away. "I can't die yet...not until they join my brethren." _

Naruto's hands shook as he drew his sword.

He positioned it so when he would fall, the sword would go through his mouth, hopefully killing him quickly.

The sword shook in his hands, and a single tear ran down his face. "Konoha...sorry it took so long."

Birds from the trees flew up into the air, as there was the loud noise of Naruto's body hitting the ground, his own blood on his face.

* * *

Fujiiro stood in front of where she had buried Shinratsu. A few of the most loyal ninja had remained with here. All the Colours dead, Shinratsu dead, and Subeta had disappeared, most likely killed by the Suna-nin.

Another image of Shinratsu flashed into her head, and she fell to her knees, tears slowly falling from her eyes, as she stared at the cold ground.

She slammed her fist in anger into the ground, then a second time. She looked up, Shinratsu's tombstone staring her in the face.

"Milord...what would you have us do now?" she asked the stone, desperate for an answer.

No sign, and the sun continued shining over a clear sky, as if it mocked her.

* * *

Gaara sifted through his work slowly, his thoughts entirely on something else. He was so preoccupied, he didn't notice Matsuri approach him.

"Gaara-sama...where exactly did Naruto-san go?"

Gaara closed his eyes briefly, before looking at Matsuri. "Naruto's tired. He's tired of it all, sick and wounded. He went on a trip to help him get better."

"Sick? But, he seemed fine after his treatment," said Matsuri.

"...It's sickness of the mind," replied Gaara.

"Oh, oh right," said Matsuri, still concerned. "Where he is going?"

"...I don't know," Gaara said, before suddenly speaking again. "He has faced harsher conditions than anyone else-perhaps even myself." Gaara breathed out slowly. "He needs his rest...doesn't he?"

Gaara laid his head in his arms, his body slowly shaking.

Matsuri's eyes widened as she saw an unbelievable sight. "Gaara-sama, are...are you crying?"

* * *

A large crow flew down onto Naruto's body. It flapped its wings, heading to Naruto's face, to peck out his remaining eye.

And then a hand shot out, grabbing the bird, crushing its head.

Naruto lay on the ground. At the last moment, he'd shifted the sword. It had just scratched the side of his face by his mouth.

"Can't I...even kill myself properly?" he said, asking the empty air.

His vision suddenly turned white, and just like before he had reached the fortress, he saw their faces again.

"Naruto...who said you had to die?" They spoke simultaneously.

"What...what do I have to live for?"

"Find it," they said. "Live Naruto, that's all we can say to you."

They faded, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder whether he had fooled himself in delirium. He stood, picking up the sword and sheathing it as he did so.

It didn't matter.

No one should waste their life.

Naruto turned away from the Memorial Stone. "Goodbye, Konoha."

He began to walk away, a great burden suddenly released from his shoulders.

He was alone in this vast world, but he had his life, and that counted for something, however small it could be. He was Uzumaki Naruto- and he wasn't going to die just yet.

Naruto smiled to himself, an honest smile. He had no doubt it looked out of place on the weary war-hardened trooper, but he hadn't smiled for a long time.

He wasn't free. He knew Konoha's Fall would always haunt him. But they were his people, his family, and he would not see their lives wasted by wasting his own.

* * *

"...Yes, this is Subeta....that's right, Reikon Shinratsu is dead. ...No sir, no one knew about my double-agent status. He might have suspected, but thanks to Naruto- I mean, Uzumaki, he's silenced. ...No, I didn't really have any qualms about the job, ....yes, as a matter of fact, I did know Shinratsu was my father."

Subeta continued listening.

"Of course sir...why do you think I chose the status as a blade user? It should allow me to pass as a mercenary or samurai in the new world...of course sir, the ninja world shall be finished. There's no doubt about it."

"...Yes, you're right sir. But we have Uzumaki to thank for that. He killed Shinratsu, and thanks to that, the ninja world won't be preserved like Shinratsu wanted."

"...Indeed sir, if it hadn't been for you and your group's hard work those few years ago, Shinratsu would have been more concerned with his plans then revenge. It could have even resulted in Naruto and Shinratsu working together. Your plan was most clever, pitting them against each other like that.

"...They have lorded over the rest of us for too long. Your uprising is nearly complete..."

"...Well, I suppose we are quite similiar sir, both of us having our fathers die for this cause. I am sure your father would be thrilled, knowing what his death truly meant. All he sought, is now in your hands."

"...Goodbye then...Mr Daimyo."

* * *

Author's Note:

Well, there you go.

A fic which has had too many references to count. Many of you would have guessed most of them by now.

Well, seeing as I've never completed a proper fanfic before, let's have some credits.

This fanfic was written by LightningHunter

All characters and places are owned by their proper owners, save Shinratsu and his army, I own them,

Many thanks to

Intisar1996- for always thinking up sequel ideas,

granite69- for recommending Berserk to me, by the way, I've already finished reading what's been released of the manga so far( Go Guts! Down with Griffith!),

avatoa- for writing the best one-liner review ever

Darth Stalker- for more or less saying that my grandfather was known as the Hunter of Lightning

Frozen Sin- for being the first person who's ever wanted flaying mentioned in one of my fics

hermitgenius- for reviewing a lot

Fuyuriku- for being the first person to notice about a certain error

lolCakes- for also wondering why such a fic gets so few reviews

hoyt- for comparing Naruto to Jack Krauser

Son of the morning- for stating that not reading this fic would be blasphemy

There are more people, but my hand is hurting now.

Oh yeah, I may actually change this fic's name. If you'd like, you can recommend titles. If I use someone's, I'll...I dunno, I'll think of something. How about tips for your fics? Nah, you won't like those, I'll just end up saying scrap the fic and start afresh.

**UPDATE: The title of this fic has been changed from They can take my life and I'll take theirs too, to Screaming For Vengeance, named after the Judas Priest song and album.**

Well, this is the end. And finally, I get to use the line I've always wanted to write.

"And that's the end of that story," said LightningHunter, closing the book as he leaned back in his chair. "Now get the fuck out of my house."


End file.
